THE RIVER. I. / 2025

Documentation and Memorial Site of the Former Stasi Pre-Trial Detention Center, Rostock (DuG) + Kunsthalle Rostock

Whoever saves a single life,
saves the whole world.
And whoever destroys a life—by violence, by oppression,
by terror, whether physical or psychological—
do they not also destroy the world?


At the beginning of this project stood a question: What is the democratic value of art?
Then came paper and pencil. And in the end—this project.
THE RIVER – An Exhibition in Three Chapters

The Democratic Value of Art
Art is the foundation of an open and free society. It holds within it the power of expression—the courage to question, to expose false truths, to reveal life in both its rawness and its beauty.

Tyrants and extremists always strike art first. They forbid it, destroy it, burn it. They know why. They despise the freedom of the individual—the power of independent thought, of self-determined action. Diversity and difference are thorns in their side. They crush anything that does not conform to their narrow vision of the world. Their actions follow a singular delusion: that only their truth matters.

They erase what binds people together across cultures, what protects humanity, what strengthens our collective spirit.

Art is a way to grasp the contradictions of the world—to see its brutality, but also its potential. This exhibition is my artistic attempt to make destruction, resistance, and humanity visible. To ask questions. To search for answers. To build bridges where none seem to exist.

Chapter 1: THEY – A Mosaic of Destruction
As I created the images for this chapter, I felt like a chronicler of violence. Each piece portrays a scene that has become a symbol of devastation: a house in flames, a helping hand crushed before it can give aid, a burning bed—the loss of safety and home.

These images form a mosaic—fragments of pain and destruction that, when placed together, reveal a larger story. Forces of ruin, coming from different directions, seemingly unconnected, yet united in their purpose: to annihilate humanity and democracy.