Artists in Leipzig: An Artistic Search for Traces Between Colonialism, Faith, and Identity
An article by Andreas Herrmann
In the historic industrial setting of the Leipzig Cotton Mill (Baumwollspinnerei), an extraordinary project has unfolded over recent months. The Leipzig International Art Programme (LIA), an international artist residency under the direction of Anna-Louise Rolland, invited artists from Tanzania, South Africa, Suriname, and Nicaragua to engage deeply with a specific chapter of German and global history: the Moravian Church (Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine). Initiated by the Federal Foreign Office, the program aimed to illuminate colonial entanglements and missionary history from the perspective of those whose cultures were sustainably shaped by these encounters.
Starting Point in Herrnhut, Upper Lusatia
The process began in November with a journey to the source: Herrnhut. Accompanied by experts from the Herrnhut Ethnographic Museum—Johanna Funke, Dr. Frank Usbeck, and Silke Piwko—as well as Kathrin Schneiß from the Moravian Church’s guest services, the artists explored the archives, the “God’s Acre” (cemetery), and the town. For many, it was an encounter with a history that is present in their homelands but often documented one-dimensionally. In the archives, they came across diaries, letters, and objects that raised questions about origin and meaning—were they gifts, or sacred objects that should rightfully belong in their communities of origin? Following this excursion, the scholarship holders worked for two and a half months in their studios at the Spinnerei to translate their individual perspectives into artworks, performances, and texts.
Perspectives on Healing and Barriers
Lillian Munuo from Tanzania brought a particularly personal viewpoint. As a wheelchair user, she examined the missionaries’ view of humanity. She criticizes a “theology of correction” that saw the disabled body as something in need of healing and as imperfect. In her work, she contrasted this “charity approach” with a social model of disability that does not seek to “fix” the body but rather to dismantle societal barriers. For her, art became a space to address the acceptance of the body as it is and life within a community.
Fragments of History and Exile
South African writer Nolwazi Mbali Mahlangu used archive findings to reflect on migration and language. She was fascinated by the correspondence sent by missionaries from abroad back to their homeland. In an installation featuring postcards, she illustrated that every encounter in a foreign land remains fragmentary—one only ever perceives a part of the truth. For her, language is the crucial link for sharing stories and meeting one another as equals.
Memory and Material Transformation – Nicaragua Outside the Homeland
Illimani de los Andes, an artist and anthropologist from Nicaragua, embodied a painful connection to the theme of homelessness. She researched documents regarding the Caribbean coast of her homeland. While she felt a kind of spiritual healing through the dialogue in Herrnhut, her real-world situation is marked by political hardship: Illimani lives in exile in El Salvador and, due to the political situation, is not allowed to return to Nicaragua with her family. She described a deep sense of “displacement”—a homelessness that connects her to the historical fates of those who were once forced to leave their cultures behind.
Mars Rodriguez is a multidisciplinary artist living in New York City with roots reaching back to Nicaragua. In Leipzig, she dedicated herself to the theme of women and the environment. She works with diverse media including textiles, printmaking, painting, and video. Her practice is based on the transformation of materials, memories, and emotions, often using found, recycled, or donated objects. She creates with what is available, not just out of necessity, but because these materials carry lived experiences. Her works are emotional and multi-layered, often combining softness with rupture, and ritual with reflection.
Suriname: Between Opera and Ancestral Powers
The connection to Suriname also played a central role. Part of the research was dedicated to the composer Johannes Nicholaas Helstone, who studied classical music in Leipzig at the end of the 19th century and later created the first Surinamese opera. A video project explored how his music linked European traditions with Surinamese realities. This was complemented by the perspective of Raoul de Jong, whose book Jaguarmann addresses the conflict between indigenous spirituality (Winti) and the missionary influence of the Moravians. He shared the story of his ancestors, including a Winti priest, and a family conflict over faith whose effects are still felt today.
A Dialogue Without Hierarchies
The project culminated in the Spinnerei’s major “Winterrundgang” (Winter Tour), where the results were presented to the public. Hundreds of visitors attend this studio presentation at the Old Cotton Mill every year. In a discussion round, representatives from museums, embassies, the art world, and Herrnhut itself came together to break down hierarchies and conduct an open dialogue about the colonial past.
As LIA director and curator Anna-Louise Rolland summarized, this project is only a beginning. The artists found ways to integrate Moravian history into their own biographies and find visual or linguistic forms for complex themes such as grief, resilience, and identity. It remains an ongoing process of healing and critical reflection that reaches far beyond the borders of Leipzig and Herrnhut.
Original article available at:
https://www.ebu.de/2026/kuenstler-in-leipzig
