White Dreams

Freedom has been stripped of its historical siblings equality and fraternity - collectivity and solidarity stand in the way of the new freedom as an obstacle to competition. Torn from its historical context in this way, freedom in its essence means little more than the freedom to wage wars in its name (if you are strong enough), to choose your own private pension scheme (if you can afford it) or to try your luck as a self-employed person. All it takes is a thorough cost-benefit calculation and the most creative blacksmith will have found his fortune... individually plannable and not tied to political and social circumstances.

In the new "free" world, the vast majority seek their happiness in a private, ideal world created by consumption. This retreat into the private sphere creates idylls in which the "small pleasures" of everyday life are savoured. But these idylls are fragile. Neither the reduction to bourgeois narrowness and inwardness nor the nostalgic reference to tradition can restore the lost sense of security and self-esteem. Behind the cosy life lies unease. Ultimately, the contradiction between ideal and reality cannot be concealed.

My work develops along these fault lines.

"In a certain sense, doll's houses reflect the moral attitudes and military ambitions of a certain era... only on the surface they are toys, but in a deeper sense they are representatives of their time." (Jo Elisabeth Gerken)

My installation consists of several "doll's houses". In these showcases - a form of presentation that emerged in the Biedermeier period - the ideal state is framed and captured. Preserving their order, even in a small, circumscribed area, requires ignorance and self-deception. The reward for this is the utopia of having "achieved" something. This idyll becomes completely stale when it is stripped of its colour, just as freedom has been stripped of its siblings.

White in white, ideal, clean, aseptic. In the end, "free" of colour, colourfulness, life - and "free" of utopia and dreams.