An emaciated sheep in a slaughterhouse, precisely dancing ballerinas at the barre, and a birthing woman on a blood-soaked birth chair — Between the late 1970s and the fall of the GDR, Gundula Schulze Eldowy created a captivating portrayal of Berlin and East Germany with unsettling and poignant images. Detached from official commissions, the artist pushed the limits of societal taboos.

Gundula Schulze Eldowy's work serves as a profound depiction of a country that was geographically close to the West but remained distant internally. In urban wanderings, the depths of an inner universe are revealed, consistently portraying the marginalized and destitute, as well as the decay, loneliness, absurdities, and everyday realities of life in East Germany at that time.

With her visual representations, Schulze Eldowy defies the idealized portrayal of the leadership of the GDR, offering a counterpoint to its official narrative. Her images become powerful metaphors, transcending the boundaries of national conditionality, reaching towards the profound alienation of humanity within the ambit of modern civilization.