Galerie Volker Diehl Zimmerstrasse 88-91 D-10117 Berlin Allemagne
The series The J. Street Project by Susan Hiller (born in 1942 in Tallahassee, Florida) examines the difficult issues connected with the German-Jewish past in a unique and highly moving manner. As part of a residency in Germany sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the artist discovered and photographed street signs which still contain the word "Jude" – Jew. Susan Hiller's journey through Germany found artistic expression in over 300 photographs, a list of the places and streets concerned, a map of Germany, a video installation and a lengthy book. The artist's remembrance work reveals traces of the past and in this way highlights the painful loss of a once rich Jewish culture in Germany. Her photographs, which also show the surrounding town, village or landscape, are melancholy and mysterious in that the deceptively idyllic scenes mask memories of an unimaginable crime. These photos take us on a journey across Germany to explore these traces of the past, and remind the viewer that we have a duty to protect human values, given their vulnerability and the latent threat to them.