War Flag (2023) 80 years Operation Gomorrah
Functioning as a tragic icon of the 20th century, the bomber plane has been particularly instrumental in the shaping of contemporary society. Counter-intuitive as it may seem, war crimes of an unparalleled scale served as a prelude to a unique window of prosperity in Western Europe. Consequently, the cynical atrocities carried out during operation Gomorrah have eroded over time into a classical good versus evil narrative -in equation to biblical genocide- carried out by an infallible supreme being, operating from the skies above.
Between the 24th of July and the 4th of August 2023, exactly 80 years after the bombardment of Hamburg, "War Flag” was raised at 8 different locations that were heavily bombed during the air raids. Namely, the st Nikolaikirche, Bullenhuser Damm, Borgfelde, Hamm, Hammerbrook, Altona, Einsbüttel and Hoheluft. The raising of "War Flag” at these locations was intended as a modest commemoration of the victims of operation Gomorrah, a marking visible to the keen observer that silently protests the great narratives of history, but in a strong wind may express the ever-present threat that lures within the caverns of human nature.