For this solo exhibition at Heidelberger Kunstverein I designed fragmented replicas of my former childhood room. The structured wallpaper was painted in the colors I had painted my room as a teenager. Growing up in West-Germany, I remember the 1980's as a period of intense fears: Acid Rain, impending Nuclear War, the Chernobyl disaster and the resurgence of Nazism were on my mind while I practiced guitar or the recorder alone in my room. I resolved to make myself available for the good fight, without any clear idea what this would mean other than writing letters in the name of amnesty international or attending mass demonstrations against nuclear armament. With this show I wanted to go back to that period and find out whether or not there is anything to glean from it for the present.

The curator of the show, Susanne Weiss, suggested to include another artist's work as a point of reference. I decided to show my aunt Anneliese Weisser's entire private library which reflected very much the issues of the roughly eight decades it span: Coming to terms with German Nazism, the beginning of the environmental movement in Germany, pacifism, feminism, world history as well as local histories, and plenty of cookbooks. We reordered the 600+ books chronologically. The books became a portrait of my aunt as well as a resource for the local audience who were able to recognize themselves in this collection of books and who exchanged opinions and memories while browsing the long shelf.