A Kollwitz print comes to life:
Arms that wrap protectively around one another, hands that reach out comfortingly towards their partner, bodies that support one another. Crowded closely together, the performers move slowly in a circle. Singing dirges and lullabies, their bodies intertwine to form a vast, sculptural structure.
Like Kollwitz, Chong explores themes of motherhood and the primal instinct to protect one’s own children, loss, death and grief, as well as resistance, protest and solidarity.
In doing so, he transposes Kollwitz’s themes from their historical context into a contemporary and transnational discourse that encompasses both the past and the present.
From 21 January to 15 March 2026, the video installation will be presented as BILDSTÖRUNG #1 as part of the exhibition KOLLWITZ NEU SEHEN at the Kollwitz Museum Köln
The art of Isaac Chong Wai (*1990) is characterised by a conceptual, performative and political nature. In a style that is both poetic and critical, the artist — who lives in Berlin and Hong Kong — explores global social realities, historical events and interpersonal interactions. Walking the fine line between the individual and the collective, he explores the vulnerability of the body, trauma and the inherent violence of social systems, whilst devising alternative visions of human relationships.
In recent years, he has taken part in numerous international exhibitions, including the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024 and the 22nd Sesc_Videobrasil Biennial in São Paulo in 2023. His works are held in prominent international collections. Since 2025, his video work »The Mothers« (2022) has also been part of the collection at the Kollwitz Museum Köln.
Whilst Käthe Kollwitz’s works are unmistakably unique in their expression and message, a look at both history and the present clearly shows just how deeply her work is embedded in an ongoing artistic dialogue. This dialogue ranges from a general thematic, motivic and technical affinity with the works of other artists from every century to specific references to Kollwitz by later generations.
In our new exhibition series Bildstörung (Interference), starting in 2026, we will be showcasing works by artists who engage with Kollwitz’s works in various ways. Embedded within the presentation of the collection and placed in direct juxtaposition, parallels become apparent whilst, at the same time, familiar perspectives are challenged, new associations are encouraged and discourses are broadened.
The video installation »The Mothers« (2022) by Isaac Chong Wai is the first Bildstörung in this series.
