Gabriele Stötzer, “Die Auslöschung eines Blickes”, 1983, 20 black and white prints, 65 × 96 cm

Gabriele Stötzer, born in 1953 in Emleben, East Germany, openly opposed the communist regime of the German Democratic Republic from a young age. Perceived as a “reactionary element” by the authorities, she faced difficulties in finding a permanent job and starting a family as a result of systematic repression. She found freedom in her artistic activities.

Stötzer’s work consists of photographic experiments that are recognizably part of the current of women’s art of the 1970s and 80s in Central and Eastern Europe. However, in the context of the artist’s life, it is impossible to ignore their political dimension.

Die Auslöschung eines Blickes depicts the process by which the artist’s face gradually disappears, painted over with black paint. In the photographs, Stötzer makes faces at the camera, treating her action as a kind of play. However, the German word “Auslöschung” also means “total destruction” or “annihilation.”

In the context of this work, one can ask the question: is the artist consciously attempting her own annihilation? Or is this annihilation an act imposed on her by someone else? The interpretation remains open, oscillating between personal reflection and criticism of an oppressive system.

Paulina Olszewska