LECTURE AND DISCUSSION: Questions for the Ghosts

After his mother’s death, photographer and graphic designer Ilja Niederkirchner inherited numerous boxes of letters, photos, and documents that revealed events and connections that no one had ever discussed with him before. The materials he inherited fundamentally challenged the consistently heroic image he had held of his family up to that point.

At the heart of this disorientation lies the fate of Paul, Käte’s brother, who was killed during the Stalinist purges. It was not so much the death itself as the way it was dealt with that became significant for Niederkirchner. Paul had no place in the collective memory—he was not mentioned, not remembered, effectively erased. For Niederkirchner, working with this legacy thus became a necessary act of self-affirmation. At the same time, he repeatedly asks himself whether he has the right to bring these long-hidden secrets to light.