Leah Pires | Akateeminen Kirjakauppa

In the Magic Garden

At the beginning of World War II, Dada artist Hannah Höch (1889–1978) retreated to a secluded house on the outskirts of Berlin to escape fascist persecution. The adjoining garden inspired and nourished her. And this is also where she hid her unique collection of dadaist artworks. Eighty years later, this richly illustrated and thoroughly researched book combines Höch’s botanical collages and photographs of the garden with documents on her relationship with the writer Til Brugman. Together with new works by artists Scott Roben and Johanna Tiedtke based on visits to the garden, and an essay by the scholar Alhena Katsof, the book interweaves past and present, private and public, personal and political, and opens up new perspectives on Höch’s long-forgotten refuge.

Text by: Alhena Katsof