Trauma in Art & Practice
Collection of artworks, images and exhibitions photos related to transsomatic trauma
Somatic Memory of Historical Violence
Transgenerational Epigenetics of Trauma - the Shoah, Antisemitism, and Racism
STREAM
This is a collection of artistic works, impressions, images, and quotations on the theme of the transgenerational transmission of trauma and the body’s memory of violence. These are materials by other creators who have made their impressions and images available to us.
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The Podcast “Invisible Wound” von Sharon Ryba-Kahn is part of the project “Hakara – facing transgenerational trauma” by AMCHA Germany. In one episode, we meet Jacqueline Saki Aslan, a German-Yazidi artist who was born in Germany to speak about the meaning of collective, transgenerational trauma in her work and personal life as we do with all of our guests on Invisible Wound. In 2014, the Islamic state committed genocide against Yazidis. How did she respond and feel when the genocide was committed against her brothers and sisters, and how did her environment respond to her? She draws many conclusions, but one aspect is key, namely her deep belief that “joy as a way of resistance.”
The videos on display at the Museo Casa de la Memoria (House of Memory) in Medellín, Colombia, focus on five key words that reflect the conflict in Colombia: FEAR, SOLIDARITY, RESILIENCE, MEMORY, DIFFERENCE. Each word transports us into an everyday situation, into something familiar and recognisable, enabling us to analyse it from the perspective of war, from the viewpoint of its protagonists and in terms of its impact on the reality in which we live. Museo Casa de la Memoria in Medellín/COL 2023. LINK
Generation and chronology. We interpret the timeline of history and violence in our own unique way: as a line, a spiral, a cycle, or even without any particular form. Although time is often depicted linearly, the events that have shaped the history of violence overlap. The timeline is intended to contribute to a political analysis of the last 70 years, focusing on power and its abuse, which has contributed to the emergence of conflicts and violence across the globe. Exhibition at the Museo Casa de la Memoria (House of Memory) in Medellín, Colombia, 2023. LINK
Can we see ourselves reflected in surfaces, structures and textures? Dorothee Krings (Berlin) has been, and continues to be, a photographer, amongst many other things. In recent years, she has organised private ‘trauma salons’, where participants could share personal perspectives on their own histories, their wounds and how they cope with them. For her, macro photography is an imaging technique that visually reveals what seems impossible: the deeper layers of time. Her images speak of the fragility of our world and, by extension, of our own vulnerability.
Can we see ourselves reflected in surfaces, structures and textures? Dorothee Krings (Berlin) has been, and continues to be, a photographer, amongst many other things. In recent years, she has organised private ‘trauma salons’, where participants could share personal perspectives on their own histories, their wounds and how they cope with them. For her, macro photography is an imaging technique that visually reveals what seems impossible: the deeper layers of time. Her images speak of the fragility of our world and, by extension, of our own vulnerability.
“In those very same government offices, we were treated like guerrillos (underground fighters).” In Colombia’s armed conflicts, the poor rural population – caught in the crossfire of the fight against the guerrilla – has for decades suffered (and continues to suffer) murder, sexual assault and displacement – a never-ending vicious circle of violence and fresh trauma. This vicious circle was broken for the first time in 2016 by the peace agreement between the government and the guerrilla. The Museo Casa de la Memoria (House of Memory) addresses historical crimes and, in doing so, supports the country’s complex peace process. LINK
View of the exhibition “liminal scapes”, which dealt with transgenerational trauma from an artistic point of view. Berlin in summer 2023.
“The expulsion of people of African descent” – The many faces of violence. The photographer as a witness. Photographers who have first-hand knowledge of the victims’ suffering and the intertwined fates of those involved in this war tell us so many stories. Museo Casa de la Memoria (House of Memory) in Medellín, Colombia, 2023. LINK
“There are people who ask why so many displaced people come to Medellín. Where else would they go?” – Due to armed conflicts, drug trafficking and traumatic experiences of violence – often following the murder of their relatives – many Colombian families are forced to leave their homes and land and make a fresh start as “landless” people in the major cities. – The Museo Casa de la Memoria (House of Memory) in Medellín, Colombia, focuses on the “participatory construction of memory through community curators” and addresses traumatic experiences in a completely new way. LINK
“In exile, two symphonies unfold simultaneously; two realities confront the same moment in time. One world collides violently with another and must learn to put down roots. In exile, the Promised Land is relocated within oneself” – In recent years, there have been major waves of emigration as a result of violence and a lack of work and prospects. Between 4 and 5 million Colombians (10 per cent of the population) now live abroad (according to Semana Magazine. Alarming figures on the exile of Colombians. 15 June 2003). Display case at the Museo Casa de la Memoria (House of Memory) in Medellín, Colombia, 2023. LINK
Memories of violence and resistance – The Museo Casa de la Memoria (House of Memory) in Medellín/COL has existed since 2011 and is the first museum in the country to focus on the victims and perpetrators of decades of armed conflict, civil wars and drug gang wars. One focus is on the participation of the descendants and their trauma and memories. LINK
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Dr. Yael Danieli is one of the founding mothers of the field of multigenerational legacies of trauma and has been a specialist in this and many of the adjacent fields for over 50 years. One could say that trauma is in her DNA due to her biography. In this podcast, we have the opportunity to understand and define what trauma is, how it manifests, and the current state of the field. In every response to our questions we can feel and hear that Yael worked in this field for over five decades. A sentence that has stayed: “trauma created difficult knowledge.” – The Podcast “Invisible Wound” of Sharon Ryba-Kahn is part of the project “Hakara – facing the transgenerational trauma” by AMCHA Germany.
For more information about her work: https://www.dryaeldanieli.com/ and https://icmglt.org/
Quoted from the book “Devoted to Life” about the lives of Holocaust survivors and their families in Israel, book by Helena Schätzle und Amcha Deutschland e.V.
View of the exhibition “liminal scapes”, which dealt with transgenerational trauma from an artistic point of view. Berlin in summer 2023.
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Esther is a psychotherapist and author from Rwanda who works with refugees in Germany. She is also a survivor of the 1994 genocide, where over one million Tutsi were murdered by Hutus. She speaks from two perspectives, as a trauma expert and as a survivor: beyond the meaning and impact of collective and transgenerational trauma. Esther talks about the meaning of good and evil in each of us and in the context of her life and what healing from such massive trauma entails. She shares experiences with us from her personal and professional life.
The widows association AVEGA AGAHOZO Book by Esther Mujawayo (in german and french)
Can we see ourselves reflected in surfaces, structures and textures? Dorothee Krings (Berlin) has been, and continues to be, a photographer, amongst many other things. In recent years, she has organised private ‘trauma salons’, where participants could share personal perspectives on their own histories, their wounds and how they cope with them. For her, macro photography is an imaging technique that visually reveals what seems impossible: the deeper layers of time. Her images speak of the fragility of our world and, by extension, of our own vulnerability.
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In episode 4 we meet Alec Morgan and Tiriki Onus. These two collaborated on a documentary film called ”Ablaze“. It tells the incredible story of Aboriginal activist Bill Onus, Tiriki’s grandfather. While discussing the film, we learn about trauma and injustice, but also about how filmmaking can be a tool and a political statement. The Podcast “Invisible Wound” von Sharon Ryba-Kahn is part of the project “Hakara – facing transgenerational trauma” by AMCHA Germany.
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In the first season of the podcast “Invisible Wound” Sharon Ryba-Kahn speaks with both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians about the meaning of collective and transgenerational trauma. In episode 3 we meet Abe Schwartz and Uncle Boydie, an elder. Together they have made it their mission to make the name of William Cooper (Uncle Boydie’s grandfather) known to the world. A man who fought for others when his own people were being persecuted. Hear the podcast of AMCHA Germany
“In those very same government offices, we were treated like guerrillos (underground fighters).” In Colombia’s armed conflicts, the poor rural population – caught in the crossfire of the fight against the guerrilla – has for decades suffered (and continues to suffer) murder, sexual assault and displacement – a never-ending vicious circle of violence and fresh trauma. This vicious circle was broken for the first time in 2016 by the peace agreement between the government and the guerrilla. The Museo Casa de la Memoria (House of Memory) addresses historical crimes and, in doing so, supports the country’s complex peace process. LINK
To examine violence, we need different languages with which to tell the story. Every art form, technique and artistic expression has depicted violence in its own way. More than just a document, art reflects, takes sides, condemns and illustrates the complexity of pain and war. Art speaks when words are not enough. It moves through the realms of emotion, challenges ideas and words, subverts logic and shatters archetypes. – The Museo Casa de la Memoria (House of Memory) shows how art grapples with violence and trauma in Colombia. LINK
All image content is shown here for educational purposes according to the fair use principle. If we have inadvertently infringed any image rights, please write to us (contact details in the legal notice) and we will remove the content immediately. Unless otherwise stated: Photos by F. Springer.
