German Students' Wallpaper 1967

Editor: This is Wolf Vostell's "German Students' Wallpaper," and it's essentially a very long collage. The black-and-white images show what appears to be police confrontation. What’s the story behind this piece? Curator: This work reflects Vostell's concern with the political climate in Germany. Consider the imagery: a student, seemingly injured, next to a figure of authority. The repetition, presented as wallpaper, suggests a pervasive societal tension. How does the context of post-war Germany inform your reading of this work? Editor: I see how the repetition could be a comment on the never-ending conflict, but I'm not fully grasping the wallpaper element. Curator: Think about the banality of wallpaper, its everyday presence. Vostell is forcing us to confront uncomfortable truths within familiar, domestic spaces. What impact does this juxtaposition create? Editor: I guess it makes you think about how political events seep into everyday life. That’s a perspective shift for me. Curator: Exactly. And that awareness is precisely what Vostell sought to provoke.