Self-Portraits as a Form of Liberation

The Gropius Bau in Berlin is presenting the largest institutional solo exhibition to date by an artist whose work has only been properly recognized in recent years: For over 50 years, Gabriele Stötzer (*1953) has engaged with complex and significant themes such as justice and self-determination in her wide-ranging body of work. Her work is shaped, among other things, by her experiences during a 12-month imprisonment: In 1976, Stötzer was convicted in the GDR on charges of »defamation of the state« for organizing a petition against the expatriation of Wolf Biermann. In the 1970s and 1980s, the artist worked under state surveillance within self-organized networks and created a multifaceted, experimental body of work that also encompasses photography, film, performance, ceramics, and textile art. Time and again, she artistically depicts her own body, which becomes a metaphor for resistance and self-assertion. The current exhibition, Gabriele Stötzer: Participating and Not Remaining Silent, brings together around 150 of her works, offering a unique overview of her body of work. The artist’s works—she is set to receive the prestigious Goslar Kaiserring in October 2026—will be on view in Berlin from June 19 to December 6.

After initially working with text, paintings, drawings, and weaving, Stötzer turned to photography in the early 1980s. In front of the camera, she staged herself and other creative individuals, developing a collaborative practice centered on networking and exchange. In 1984, she founded the Erfurt artists’ group—unique in the GDR—which took the name Exterra XX after reunification. Life itself became the subject of art in the artists’ works. In her Super 8 films, for example, Stötzer blended everyday observations with dreamlike sequences. The artist is also active as a writer. In 2022, for instance, she published her book Der lange Arm der Stasi (The Long Arm of the Stasi) about her imprisonment in the Hoheneck women’s prison and her artistic work in the GDR.

The exhibition will be on view at the Museum Abteiberg in Mönchengladbach from March 14 to September 26, 2027.