A call for social change: With the exhibition Solidarity and Strength – In the Fight Against Violence and for the Rights of Women and Girls, the Bonn Women’s Museum honors the life’s work of Sister Dr. Lea Ackermann (1937–2023) and stands against violence with justice and respect. In 1985, Ackermann founded the aid organization SOLWODI (Solidarity with Women in Distress) in Mombasa and fought tirelessly for women’s rights. At the time, she was among the first women to publicly advocate against violence and exploitation, such as human trafficking, forced prostitution, and forced marriage. In the exhibition, the Women’s Museum Bonn brings together paintings, sculptures, installations, and collages by 32 female visual artists with accounts from approximately 100 eyewitnesses, with the aim of promoting respect and equality. The opening reception will take place on May 7 at 5:30 p.m., after which the exhibition will be on view until June 21.
In the exhibition, artist Gaby Kutz presents a portrait of Dr. Ackermann. She created the work specifically for this exhibition after receiving an invitation from the museum. The piece is one of many powerful portrait paintings by the artist, through which she honors individuals who have championed causes such as democracy and women’s rights or achieved extraordinary accomplishments in the arts, politics, and science. The artist’s work revolves around transience and the enduring presence of traces. Through her work, she shapes collective memory and conveys to society what must not be forgotten. She immortalizes her subjects from recent history in traditional painting; the paintings are first created using egg tempera, over which she applies layers of oil paint. Kutz’s works have been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions and have been presented at art fairs in Cologne, Lucca, and Paris, among other places.
