Hermann

The work Hermann uses archival material from my grandfather as a foundation to reflect and critique the position and power of the image. The piece contemplates the depiction of violence, our interaction with visual media, and asks how the digital image alters and reshapes our perception of reality.

My grandfather served in the German military during the Second World War. He was only 20, returning at the end of the war at 25 — the same age I am right now. He stored these tents in his attic since his return in 1945, and the image is a reprint of a negative from his archive, among other photos he took during the war.

Today, most of the images we consume are digital, mediated through online space. This work functions as an antithesis, creating a moment of suspense for the audience to linger. The piece opposes the rapid pace of contemporary media and the expectation that everything must be instantly consumable.

The work engages with the image as a tool for communication, and the increasing difficulty of deciphering its meaning and authenticity. What if I told you that I bought this tent off someone on eBay? Or that the image of my grandfather is extended with the help of AI?

Hermann is an act of confrontation, a meditation on memory, media, and complicity. Images assume a certain transparency and an access to truth — but how is the act of onlooking itself entangled with power?