5 Questions with Sarah James

In this 5 Questions interview, art historian Sarah James considers art produced in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), reflecting on its circulation in both international and local contexts. While thorough analyses are necessary, she warns against the potential “tyranny of the specific,” urging us to look at the complex dialogues of the postwar period through more than just a “Cold War lens.” James draws attention to the fact that East German art is often neglected in studies of Central and Eastern European as well as post-socialist art. She demonstrates how her research tackles these and other blind spots through non-uni-linear studies of art, specifically photography and works on paper, produced in the GDR.

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