The Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre

Exhibition opening of Traces of Violence by Marcelo Brodsky
2025-10-19 15:00 - 17:00 UTC | Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre, 1 Duncombe Rd, Johannesburg, Gauteng, 2193, South Africa
In 2021, Germany formally recognised the genocide of the Herero and Nama People, committed by the German Empire in 1904-1908 in German South West Africa (now Namibia).In the course of the division of Africa by the European powers in the Berlin Conference of 1884/1885, the German Empire acquired the right to colonise South West Africa. Colonial policy included the expulsion of the local Nama and Herero communities from their fertile land so that German colonisers and farmers could settle there.

As an artist and human rights activist, Marcelo Brodsky believes in the importance of art in the social debate. Their ability to influence the public opinion-forming process and attract media attention. The subject of human rights violations was and is a central part of his art.

Brodsky became internationally known with his work cycle “Buena Memoria” (1997) about the kidnapping of some of his classmates and his brother Fernando Brodsky by the death squads during the Argentine military dictatorship. Fernando’s body has not been found to this day. Other series of works followed, such as “1968 The Fire of Ideas,” “Africa Fighting for Freedom” or “Migrants.”

As part of his human rights activities, Brodsky met the German human rights lawyer Wolfgang Kaleck, who came to Argentina 20 years ago to defend the cases of German citizens who have disappeared due to state terror. Kaleck is the founder and director of ECCHR (European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights). This Berlin-based organisation has a team of international lawyers who work for global justice, defend political prisoners and fight human rights violations and crimes against humanity with legal means. Wolfgang Kaleck informed Marcelo Brodsky about the case and the genocide in South West Africa. With his help, Brodsky contacted the Ovaherero Genocide Foundation based in Namibia and offered them his collaboration to develop an art project on their case and present it in an art space in Berlin.

The photographs that Brodsky collected in archives, agencies and universities for two years were taken by the colonists or their helpers (soldiers, missionaries, journalists, etc.). They are irrefutable evidence of the brutal violence of the perpetrators. After reading Mark Sealy’s book “Decolonizing the Camera”, which describes that every time a colonialist image is shown, its violence is reproduced, Brodsky decided to radically rework these images. As in his previous series of works, Brodsky enlarges and reworks the photographs underlining the aesthetic effect of the motif by reworking the colours by hand. The beautiful becomes more beautiful, the horror becomes more horrific. His own short text contribution, typical of his works, expresses the voice and point of view of the colonisers in every single coloured photo. They show violence very clearly, which makes it rather disturbing for the viewer.

The opening will feature a presentation by Brodsky and welcome representatives of the Herero and Nama nations and organisations.
