Lady of War

by Center for Political Beauty

Berlin, action in public space, thereafter on view at KW


In 2011 the Federal Security Council, under its chairwoman Angela Merkel, decided to approve a major arms deal: the sale of 270 Leopard 2 tanks to Saudi Arabia. German "high technology" is meant to be exported to a country, which is since March 2011 directly involved in the defeat of the Arab Spring, and has stationed thousands of soldiers and tanks to this day for "counterinsurgency" in the state of Bahrain. Despite several criminal charges, the puppet masters of this deal pretend to have done nothing wrong. They have a name and a face: the head of the company is described as a "patriarch" who, together with a bunch of confused owners (artists, teachers, photographers), cannot get enough of the profits. They are proud to expand their businesses and become richer and richer every year. But there is a sign of hope: this time, a line has been crossed. The commercial arms deal marks a turning point for their peaceful hiding place in Kassel. The red line, not to export to states that violate human rights, is crossed for greed. "Lady of War" documents the struggle and the fate of the owners of an armory.

 

by Philipp Ruch


Sign the petition to withdraw the Federal Cross of Merit from Manfred Bode (tank dealer from Kassel).

Video by Jacek Taszakowski and Rafał Żwirek

Report by ZDF

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10th Berlin Biennale