Private Collection, Berlin (acquired in 2004 at Galerie Arndt & Partner, Berlin)

Exh. cat.: Sophie Calle. M'as tu vue. Paris, Centre Pompidou, 2003/2004, p. 435 („Souvenirs de Berlin-Est. Lenin (Russian Embassy)“). No ill. (not exhibited)

The French conceptual artist Sophie Calle, to whom the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin is dedicating a solo exhibition from 13 November to 4 April 2026/27, acted as a tracker of traces in her series ‘The Distance’ (French: ‘Souvenirs de Berlin-Est’). A few years after the fall of the Wall, she wandered through East Berlin – a city marked by political and cultural upheaval – with her camera, which became the starting point for a new project. She explained: “In Berlin, numerous symbols of the former East Germany have been removed. They have left their mark. I photographed this absence and asked passers-by to describe their memories of it to me.” Her photographic subjects included, for example, the empty frame of a commemorative plaque, propaganda art on a building façade obscured by an advertising banner, or, as in our case, a bust of Lenin concealed by a box in the front garden of the Russian Embassy. Calle compiled the locations marked on a city map, accounts from contemporary witnesses and small illustrations of the original situation into a dedicated publication. This is mounted, open at the relevant page, beneath the large-format photograph depicting the current state of affairs.It serves as a sort of caption explaining the images. However, the information provided does not allow us to form a clear picture, as the recollections differ. Was the concealed head made of bronze or stone? Did the Lenin in the bust really wear a jacket? Did he look majestic or expressionless? With this series, Calle succeeds in demonstrating to us—in a manner that is as intelligent and critical as it is poetic—the limitations and subjectivity inherent even in our own memories. At the same time, ‘Die Entfernung’ (The Distance), as an exploration of a part of recent German history, also possesses a political and historical dimension. It is therefore no surprise that this particular series of works forms part of the permanent art collection at the German Bundestag. FS