The Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany is hosting a special exhibition featuring the works of Bracha Lichtenberg Ettinger, a multifaceted artist known for her versatility, running until August 31. This marks the first time a German institution has presented a comprehensive overview of the works of Ettinger, a painter, psychoanalyst, philosopher, and peace activist born in Tel Aviv in 1948.
Trauma, Healing, and Artistic Interpretation
The exhibition carries particular significance as Ettinger, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, has not shown her work in Germany for forty years. It includes her latest paintings, early works from the 1980s, and artist books. Ettinger’s art explores themes of vulnerability and the interconnectedness of all life, often combining imagery of female Shoah victims with figures from ancient myths.
Her creative process is striking. She uses photocopiers to generate images, mixes ash with pigments, and questions the representability of documents of mass murder. Her paintings, which can take four to nine years to complete, emerge as a result of unconscious processes. Ettinger’s aesthetic program offers an alternative to destructive black-and-white logic and serves as an inspiration for younger artists engaging with inherited trauma and healing.
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