Alltagsgeschichten (some histories of everyday life)

Catalogue to accompany an installation by Ingelevics, based on his family’s experiences living in displaced persons camps throughout Germany after leaving Latvia in 1944. Introductory texts by M. Hanna and G. Hall draw attention to the artist’s interest in the relationship between documentary photography and the museum. Differences between living memory and historical representation are discussed, especially in terms of how they relate to the construction of identity. Eksteins provides an historical context for the artist’s work by describing the devastating effects of World War II. Fitzpatrick suggests Ingelevics’ photographs of “memory sites” (former displaced persons’ camps) question the signifying structure of the archive by countering historical narratives with a “living memory.” Notions of history and truth are considered in relation to the value of personal memory as subject for representation. Includes brief texts by Ingelevics as well as excerpts from his interviews with family members. Texts in English and French. Biographical notes. 23 bibl. ref.