ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Radio Show Me What Democracy Looks Like Episode 8 Explores Erna Rosenstein's Night and Memory

publication · 2026-10-14

In the eighth episode of Radio Show Me What Democracy Looks Like, Richard Finlay Fletcher delves into themes of memory, otherness, and violence within democratic visual culture. The discussion centers on Erna Rosenstein's 1993 artwork, Night (Noc), which illustrates the tragic murder of her parents in Poland after their escape from Nazi-occupied Warsaw in 1942. As a Holocaust survivor, Rosenstein frequently incorporated her trauma into her art, often depicting her parents in harrowing contexts. The painting showcases a collage-like aesthetic with dark hues and hyperrealistic features. A key figure in postwar Eastern European art, she was part of the Kraków Group. The episode also touches on documenta 14 and Diana Taylor's perspectives on Villa Grimaldi, highlighting the link between memory and location. Links to relevant institutions and a YouTube video are provided.

Key facts

  • Episode 8 of Radio Show Me What Democracy Looks Like is hosted by Richard Finlay Fletcher.
  • The episode discusses Erna Rosenstein's 1993 painting Night (Noc).
  • Rosenstein's parents were murdered in 1942 in a forest outside Ogridniki, Poland, after fleeing Nazi-occupied Warsaw.
  • Night (Noc) is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
  • Rosenstein was part of the Kraków Group avant-garde.
  • The episode references documenta 14 and Diana Taylor's writing on Villa Grimaldi, a Chilean torture and detention center.
  • Taylor recounts visits to Villa Grimaldi with Pedro Mata and mentions the phrase 'el olvido está lleno de memoria'.
  • The program includes a YouTube video titled 'Exercises of Freedom 8 - Diana Taylor'.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

Locations

  • Ogridniki
  • Poland
  • Warsaw
  • Chicago
  • Chile
  • New York

Sources

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