Ines Doujak – Untitled (201) – FESCH.TV

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Untitled (2014)
Digital print, banner, 259cm x 388cm

In Ines Doujak’s digital collage, the boundaries between present and history are dissolved, objects and bodies blur into one another, people and their environment are joinedto one another. Two naked women can be seen in the centre of the picture. One, wearing a German Wehrmacht helmet, is riding on the other woman, who is holding tulips in her mouth. In the background is the tomb of Christ surrounded by angels proclaiming salvation. The two women are marked out by their allegorical attributes: Tulips were one of the most popular plants in the European colonial era, which triggered one of the first economic speculative bubbles, a capitalist milestone in the early 17th century. The Wehrmacht helmet, representing military hegemony, is accompanied by a stork, symbol of fertility and ascension. The collage of old and new symbols points to the complex relationship between religion, capitalism and colonialism, which continues to have its effect on our earth to the present day. Ines Doujak’s work consistently critiques contemporary neoliberalism’s reactionary response to the exploitative crimes of the colonial past, which seem to be subject to selective historical amnesia.

Ines Doujak (Vienna) works on deconstructing the political implications of sexist and racist stereotypes. Drawing on the traditions of carnival, masquerade and motifs from cultural history, she uncovers exploitative structures and inequalities in society, often in relation to colonial histories. Her research into the textile industry has resulted in numerous works concerning gender, class and cultural conflicts related to the global production, trade and distribution of fashion and textiles.