Nederlandse SS-ers 1945

This anonymous collage at the Rijksmuseum confronts us with the stark realities of war and ideology, rendered in shades of grey, a palette that feels heavy, like ash. There’s something brutal about the cut and paste nature of the piece, the way the images and text collide, reflecting a fractured world. The ghostly figures in uniform juxtaposed with the fallen body create a haunting dissonance. You see the rigid order and then the ultimate disorder of death, a single gesture that unravels the whole structure. The texture of the original photographs, worn and grainy, adds to the sense of historical distance, yet the horror feels immediate. This work reminds me of the collages of Martha Rosler, particularly her series "House Beautiful: Bringing the War Home." Both artists use collage to disrupt and challenge dominant narratives, forcing us to confront uncomfortable truths. Art like this, with its unsettling ambiguity, doesn't offer easy answers, but demands we keep questioning.