Gabriele Stötzer's Feminist GDR Archive Explored in Year-Long Leipzig Exhibition
On March 3, 2019, the Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig introduced 'Conscious Inability: The Gabriele Stötzer Archive,' a year-long project focused on the feminist art and activism of Gabriele Stötzer, born in 1954. This exhibition, which spans three parts and is set to continue until March 2020, showcases Stötzer's personal archive, featuring Stasi documents and materials from her underground gallery. Curated by Vera Lauf and Luise Thieme, the exhibition incorporates infrastructure designed by Paula Gehrmann. The first segment concluded on June 23, 2019, aligning with 'anarchive.' Stötzer, who co-founded Künstlerinnengruppe Erfurt, was awarded the Order Pour le Mérite for her efforts in preserving Stasi files after 1989. The exhibition's title reflects her approach to challenging systems through uncertainty, steering clear of direct comparisons with Western feminism.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Conscious Inability: The Gabriele Stötzer Archive' ran March 3, 2019 – March 2020 at Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig
- Gabriele Stötzer is a feminist artist born in 1954, central to late GDR art
- Stötzer was imprisoned at Hoheneck women's prison in late 1970s for involvement in Erfurt petition supporting Wolf Biermann
- Artist Paula Gehrmann designed the display infrastructure using black steel rods, MDF plates, and Plexiglas
- Curated by GfZK's Vera Lauf and independent curator Luise Thieme
- Exhibition includes Stötzer's Super-8 films, textile works, Stasi files, and documentation from her underground Erfurt gallery
- Stötzer co-founded Künstlerinnengruppe Erfurt, later renamed Exterra XX
- First installment closed June 23, 2019; second part coincided with Clemens von Wedemeyer's 'Majorities'
Entities
Artists
- Gabriele Stötzer
- Gabriele Kachold
- Paula Gehrmann
- Wolf Biermann
- Georges Adéagbo
- Stephan Köhler
- Rosa Barba
- Andreas Grahl
- Ricarda Roggan
- Clemens von Wedemeyer
- Kathleen Reinhardt
- Vera Lauf
- Luise Thieme
- Susan Buck-Morss
Institutions
- Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig
- GfZK Leipzig
- Ministerium für Staatssicherheit
- Stasi
- Georg Kolbe Museum
- Albertinum
- Dresden State Art Collections
- FU Berlin
- MIT Press
- ARTMargins Online
- ARTMargins
- Contemporary And
- Kaleidoscope
- African Arts
Locations
- Leipzig
- Germany
- Erfurt
- Hoheneck
- Cologne
- Berlin
- Dresden
- Los Angeles
Sources
- ARTMargins —
- ARTMargins —