The Right to Exist (2023 - 2025)
Work Description: The shock I felt over the unspeakable absurdity of Jewish artists being canceled in Germany by German institutions for having a certain political opinion, made me do this work. Also, coming from a background of photojournalism I was often able to see the raw and unfiltered footage that came out of Gaza and noticed very quickly that what the German media reports on this matter is unbalanced in the most extreme possible way. This work takes the same stance as some of the canceled Jewish artists in Germany. It promotes the „radical“ opinion that human rights should apply to everyone, regardless of skin color, nationality and ethnicity. And, on the other hand, that violations of international and humanitarian law must not remain without consequences, regardless of who perpetrates them. The video, based on the sound piece „Thousand Mile Stare“, by Aaron Funk (Venetian Snares) consists of three core elements: Statements made by Israeli officials, war footage from Gaza and German media reports. My goal is to further a more tolerant discussion on this matter here in Germany, politically – but also especially within the art world.