Ruth Wolf-Rehfeldt's 1990 Mail Art Critiques German Reunification Through Typewritten Works
In February 1990, artist Ruth Wolf-Rehfeldt released an SOS mail art leaflet, calling for support against the impending dissolution of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The leaflet, composed in English, encouraged recipients to reach out to parliamentary entities, denouncing the GDR's social disintegration. Since the early 1970s, she had been creating 'typewritings' using an Erika typewriter, delving into both linguistic and visual aspects. Her last pieces from 1990, such as 'Destruction' and 'Destruction 2,' mirrored the social upheaval during reunification. The Wende period was marked by swift political transformations, leading to the Unification Treaty on August 31, 1990. After 1990, Wolf-Rehfeldt stepped away from the art scene and passed away in February 2024, with her archives preserved in various institutions.
Key facts
- Ruth Wolf-Rehfeldt distributed an SOS mail art leaflet in February 1990 opposing German reunification
- She created 'typewritings' using an Erika typewriter since the early 1970s
- Her work circulated through international mail art networks emphasizing non-commercial exchange
- Final works 'Destruction' and 'Destruction 2' from 1990 featured torn typewritten collages
- She operated from a home studio in East Berlin within the GDR
- The Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989, leading to reunification by October 3, 1990
- Wolf-Rehfeldt died in February 2024 after withdrawing from art practice for decades
- Her archives are held at institutions in Budapest and Bremen
Entities
Artists
- Ruth Wolf-Rehfeldt
- Robert Rehfeldt
- Karla Sachse
- Ingrid Behm
- Anna Banana
- Claudine Barbot
- Bernd Philippi
- David Cole
- Hans Arp
- Jean Arp
- Pablo Picasso
- Hannah Höch
- Gustav Metzger
- Annemarie Balden-Wolff
- Dieter Tucholke
- Lorna Simpson
- Brook Andrew
- Renate Paulsen
- Joaquim Branco
- Mogens Otto Nielsen
- Ursula Loeckx-Wiegard
- Klaus Groh
- Jorge Glusberg
- Geoffrey Cook
- Clemente Padín
- Jorge Caraballo
- Milan Knížák
- Guillermo Deisler
- Edgardo-Antonio Vigo
- Palomo Vigo
- Renate Göritz
- Markus Wolf
- Christa Wolf
- Heiner Müller
- Helmut Kohl
- Christopher Williams-Wynn
Institutions
- Academy of Arts
- Museum of Fine Arts – Artpool Art Research Center
- Centre for Artists' Publications
- Weserburg Museum für moderne Kunst
- ChertLüdde
- Sandstein Verlag
- Spector Books
- Hatje Cantz
- MIT Press
- Whitney Museum of American Art
- Paris Biennale
- Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo
- XVI Bienal de São Paulo
- Ullstein & Co.
- Tate
- Nationalgalerie
- Staatliche Kunstsammlungen
- Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz – Max-Planck-Institut
- Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz
- Max Planck Gesellschaft
- Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)
- Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art
- Krupp Foundation
- Institute for Studies on Latin American Art
- Harvard University
- University of Chicago
- ARTMargins Online
- International Artist's Cooperation
- Ministry for State Security
- Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED)
- Alliance for Germany
- Christian Democratic Union
- German Democratic Republic
- Federal Republic of Germany
Locations
- East Berlin
- Berlin
- Germany
- German Democratic Republic (GDR)
- Federal Republic of Germany (FRG)
- Budapest
- Hungary
- Bremen
- Dresden
- Leipzig
- Warsaw
- Poland
- New York
- United States
- Buenos Aires
- Argentina
- Paris
- France
- São Paulo
- Brazil
- London
- United Kingdom
- Uruguay
- Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
- Chile
- Cologne
- Florence
- Italy
- Cambridge
- Massachusetts
Sources
- ARTMargins —
- ARTMargins —