Rebranding a Nation, 2021
01:10:00 h, Video performance.
“The country I was born in no longer exists and yet my identity is closely linked to it.“
What does the loss of homeland mean? What consequences does the dissolution of a state have for society, what for one’s own identity? Does memory change over time and what influence does this have on our present actions? Has the border between East and West really been overcome or has there only been a shift from a topographical to a mental level? How do we currently deal with issues such as borders, flight, loss of home and identity?
In Re-Branding a Nation, a video performance, an original GDR state flag (323 x 117 cm) was bought on eBay and made in 1971 in the VEB Bandtex (Volkseigener Betrieb) of the cotton combine is shown. In more than an hour, the artist unravels the seam of the GDR symbol by hand. Underneath is the flag of the FRG. Its serves as a metaphor for questioning after reunification versus takeover.