Aufbau Ost.pdf

Aufbau Ost is an exhibition about post-East and post-West Germany, exploring the societal reconstruction of the former GDR and the void of an authentic ideological structure filled by individual far-right radicalization. The exhibition features video and sound installations documenting or reenacting moments of radicalization in Zwickau, mapping the "psychograph" of existential routes leading to far-right or Islamist positions. It critiques extremist positions while asking if a space of empathy can be created to understand individual motivational circles behind radicalization. The exhibition references the National-Socialist Underground and the radicalization of individuals like Deso Dogg, a German gangsta rapper who became an Islamist recruiter. The title "Aufbau Ost" ironically refers to the economic reconstruction of East Germany, highlighting the contradictory attempt to create social change through consumer culture and economic hype.