The black and white drawings of the series (2014) are shadowy and vague. At first glance they look like landscapes and cloud formations. However, the templates to the drawings were pictures of theaters of war from the First World War. With time the viewer recognizes aircrafts, explosions or faces in the drawings. Some drawings are erased in places and refer to the flaws and gaps in the memory, but also in the official history. But how can the memory about the events be preserved? How do new events palimpsest-like build new layers on the various historical layers? What remains?
On the other hand, it is the vaguesness, the void that repesents that what can not be expressed and shown. Nina Ansari opens up an associative space to the viewer, that allows everyone to see something different in the respective scenes, and with a little patience, the viewer can can immerse in the depth of the images. The series of drawings is complemented by a fragment of a love letter, written by a soldier to his beloved from the front lines.
Text: Antje Weitzel
105 pieces, graphite and charcoal on carton, signed, each 9,5 x 13 cm