This examination of identity in modern-day Germany explores how diverse artists challenge conventional meanings of "Germanness." It addresses contemporary art and belonging from the 1980s, highlighting discussions on multiculturalism in West Germany and the ongoing impact of unification and migration policies. The rise of racial violence, right-wing populism, and ethnically defined nationalism is contextualized within these developments. Accessible essays cover topics like labor migration, the experience of being Black in Germany, and the aftermath of the Berlin Wall's fall, laying the groundwork for understanding current intercultural dynamics. Object-focused texts analyze various media, including Candida Höfer's slideshow Turks in Germany 1979, which depicted Turkish immigrants' integration into public life during a time of exclusion, and Ngozi Schommers's sculpture Commuters, reflecting on the housing crisis. Amid the resurgence of right-wing nationalist movements in Germany and globally, the work advocates for a broader conception of German identity, showcasing artists from diverse backgrounds who interrogate national identity. This exploration will be featured in an exhibition at the Harvard Art Museums from September 13, 2024, to January 5, 2025.
Rita Chin Book order (chronological)
Rita Zoey Chin is the author of the memoir LET THE TORNADO COME. She explores themes of resilience and vulnerability, delving into the search for love and identity amidst unexpected circumstances and navigating past trauma. Her prose is characterized by a raw, honest, and empathetic voice, allowing readers to deeply connect with her characters' journeys.
"[an] imaginative debut..." - The New York Times "The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern is a bittersweet and achingly tender coming of age novel. Like V. E. Schwab and Audrey Niffenegger, Rita Zoey Chin is an expert guide to that territory in which magic, loss, and possibility change not only the characters but the reader, too.” - Kelly Link, author of Get in Trouble The luminous story of a fiercely lonely young woman's quest to uncover the truth behind her mother’s disappearance . . . When 6-year-old empath Leah Fern—once “The Youngest and Very Best Fortune Teller in the World”—is abandoned by her beautiful magician mother, she is consumed with longing for her mother's return. Until something bizarre happens: On her 21st birthday Leah receives an inheritance from someone she doesn’t even know, and finds herself launched on a journey of magical discovery. It's a voyage that will spiral across the United States, Canada, into the Arctic Circle and beyond—and help her make her own life whole by piecing together the mystery surrounding her mother’s disappearance. The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern is an enchanting novel about the transcendent power of the imagination, the magic at the threshold of past and present, and the will it takes to love.