Marcel Odenbach

Discussant: Vidya Shivadas

Marcel Odenbach is one of the leading figures of German video art. His videos are complex narratives he creates by means of a unique collage technique out of recorded film and television footage, archival material, and pictures he has produced himself. Montaging public and private imagery, he spins stories that interweave the larger frame of history with the emotions of the individual human being and his own biography. His works on video and video installations attest to his crucial role in promoting and shaping the international development of this genre.

Odenbach has consistently addressed political issues in his works, be it the conflict between East and West during the Cold War, the Nazi horror and ways of remembering them, or the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, German consumer culture or gender stereotypes associated with norms of female beauty and male violence.

Odenbach has had numerous solo-exhibitions in Germany and internationally, and has twice won the 1st prize at the film festival in Locarno, Italy.

About the disussant:
Vidya Shivadas is a curator based in New Delhi. She is currently the director of the not-for-profit Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art (FICA). FICA was set up in 2007 to provide support via grants to artists, researchers, educators and public art projects, as well as working in the field of art education and outreach.