Amelie von Wulffen's Exhibition 'The Dead in the Swamp' at Galerie Barbara Weiss Explores Guilt and Right-Wing Ideology

Amelie von Wulffen's solo exhibition 'The Dead in the Swamp' ran from 15 September to 29 October at Galerie Barbara Weiss in Berlin. The show featured genre paintings from 2016 that critique nationalist longings and guilt in Germany. One work depicts a 1957 meeting between philosopher Martin Heidegger and scholar Martin Buber, arranged by the artist's grandfather, to discuss National Socialism. Other paintings reference historical genre painters like Franz Defregger and Gustave Caillebotte, blending styles and eras. A scene of a family meal includes a black-and-white portrait of poet Paul Celan, whose poem 'Todesfuge' addresses Nazi persecution. Images of burning cities allude to the 1945 bombing of Dresden, while grotesque scenes show monsters and burning children. The exhibition title plays on cheap crime novels and TV series, which von Wulffen noted served as catalysts for guilt-ridden images of concentration camps in postwar Germany. Her work deconstructs the emotional trinity of unspoiled nature, pure homeland, and family life, linking it to contemporary right-wing populism. Paintings initially appearing harmless, such as children playing music for an old woman, reveal critical ideology through contrasts in clothing styles. The exhibition was reviewed in the January & February 2017 issue of ArtReview.