In her artistic practice, Dominique Hurth has been investigating female Nazi perpetrators for many years, and in particular the figure of the female concentration camp guard. For the exhibition “Guilty, Guilty, Guilty! Towards a Feminist Criminology” Hurth has developed a new installation that centers on the female guard on trial.

Taking a closer look at the first Belsen Trial (1945) and the First and Sixth Ravensbrück Trials from the period 1947-1948, the installation, which spans over three rooms, bases itself on the improvised architecture of the British military courts and its scenic elements, the photographic documentation of the trials, and the juridical language with which, a.0., the defendants’ “abilities’ were assessed and negotiated for culpability (as women).
Case/Stage
(“The background of an evidence given by women against women”)
2022
Plasterboards, construction wood, glass, aquarelle on paper (30 pieces each 21 x 29,7cm), hand-dye drill (birch and nessel, 400 x 500cm)

With the support of Andrew Thomas Parry (construction drawings), Cecilia Murgia (graphic design consultig), Sina Ahmadi (production), Omar Nicolas (production), Jakob Urban (studio assistance); Kristoffer Holmelund and team (technical set-up); and the financial support of the Institut Francais, Berlin, and the Berlin Artistic Research Grant Programme.

Installation views:
Group Show “Guilty, Guilty, Guilty! Towards a Feminist Criminology”,
curated by Sonja Lau, Kunstraum Kreuzberg (Berlin), 12.11.2022 - 29.02.2023
Photos: CHROMA Istanbul;
second to last photo: Dominique Hurth