Emphasizing the people’s free will in a democracy the Jewish Barber-Hynkel-Chaplin states, “You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then – in the name of democracy – let us use that power – let us all unite. (…) Let us fight for a new world – a decent world that will give men a chance to work – that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie!”

As history repeats itself, regrettably Chaplin’s words are as relevant today as they were in 1940. The COVID-19 crisis has shown us our limits to democracy. But, also, with time to reflect, artists have been starting to ask themselves these pressing questions: “Are we, the artists, hijacked by intellectualist shelters and elite surroundings? Or are we exposed, fragile, and at-risk or, more confusingly, both? Do we still seek to communicate to the people or are we caught up inside of pleasing a subculture and its hierarchal structures? Whose soldiers, are we?”

Nadja Verena Marcin

Nadja Verena Marcin

Nadja Verena Marcin is a visual artist whose work examines psychology and human behavior through an interdisciplinary lens of feminism and emotional architecture within theatrical and cinematic contexts. Using photography, video, live performance, and immersive installations, she challenges historical and media portrayals of women to expose systems of power and their psychological roots. Her work has been exhibited internationally at venues including Gropius Bau (Berlin), SCHAUWERK (Sindelfingen), Fridman Gallery (New York), Garage Museum (Moscow), and ZKM (Karlsruhe). She has received support from the New York State Council on the Arts, Berlin Senate, and Stiftung Kunstfonds (Bonn). Marcin holds an MFA from Columbia University and has lectured at Wellesley College, the International Center of Photography, RISD, and Potsdam University. She is represented by Art Claims (Berlin) and AKArt (San Francisco).

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