Ceija Stojka's Holocaust and Memory Paintings Examined in Budapest Exhibition
The exhibition 'We Were Ashamed,' curated by Moritz Pankok, showcased the work of Austrian-Romani artist Ceija Stojka at Gallery8 in Budapest, concluding on October 6, 2014. Stojka, who endured the horrors of Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, and Ravensbrück, began her artistic journey at the age of 56 in the late 1980s. Her portfolio features a 'dark cycle' that explores the trauma of concentration camps and a 'bright cycle' celebrating her Roma childhood before the war. The exhibition displayed 17 pieces, primarily lent by her son Hojda Stojka, along with documentaries and Holocaust literature. Recognized by the Vienna Museum, Stojka’s art includes motifs such as barbed wire and figures like Ravensbrück guard Dorothea Binz. A monograph was released in 2014, and Pankok highlighted the persistent difficulties faced by Roma artists.
Key facts
- Ceija Stojka was an Austrian-Romani painter and Holocaust survivor who began painting at age 56 in the late 1980s.
- Stojka survived Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, and Ravensbrück concentration camps.
- The exhibition 'We Were Ashamed' ran at Gallery8 in Budapest from August 2 to October 6, 2014.
- Moritz Pankok curated the exhibition and is art director of Berlin's Galerie Kai Dikhas.
- Stojka's work includes a 'dark cycle' about camp trauma and a 'bright cycle' about prewar Roma childhood.
- A monograph 'Even Death is Afraid of Auschwitz' was published in 2014, edited by Lith Bahlmann and Matthias Reichelt.
- The Vienna Museum acquired a series of Stojka's works for its collection.
- Stojka died in 2013 at age 79, ten years after her brother Karl.
Entities
Artists
- Moritz Pankok
- Ceija Stojka
- Otto Pankok
- Karl Stojka
- Romani Rose
- Roger 'Moreno' Rathgeb
- Karin Berger
- Lith Bahlmann
- Matthias Reichelt
- Barbara Danckwortt
- Tímea Junghaus
- Bandela Winterstein
- Anna Koch
- Marika Schmiedt
- Daniel Strauss
- George Vasilescu
- Bogdan Diaconu
- István Szentandrássy
- Omara
- Ágnes Daróczi
- Katalin Bársony
- Jenő Zsigó
- Tamás Péli
- János Balázs
- Árpád Bak
Institutions
- Galerie Kai Dikhas
- Gallery8
- TAK Theater Aufbau Kreuzberg
- Central Council of German Sinti and Roma
- French Institute in Budapest
- Kunstverein Tiergarten
- Galerie Nord
- Galerie Schwartzsche Villa
- Kulturamt Steglitz-Zehlendorf
- Ravensbrück Women's Concentration Camp
- Kunststation Kleinsassen
- State Gallery of Stuttgart
- Vienna Museum
- Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român (Romanian Peasant Museum)
- Hungarian National Gallery
- Ludwig Museum – Museum of Contemporary Art
- National Cultural Fund
- European Roma Cultural Foundation
- Roma Parliament
- Romano Kher
- Budapest Roma Educational and Cultural Center (FROKK)
- Museum of Ethnography
- Eötvös Loránd University
- Magyar Narancs
- ARTMargins Online
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- Budapest
- Hungary
- Vienna
- Austria
- Dachau
- Fürstenberg/Havel
- Heidelberg
- Japan
- United States
- Frankfurt
- Kleinsassen
- Stuttgart
- Romania
- Bucharest
- Düsseldorf
- Hamburg