fünf zu eins: Eric Meier

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the German Democratic Republic in October 1989, Erich Honecker coined the slogan „Forwards forever, backwards never”. Shortly thereafter the Berlin Wall fell and the GDR collapsed. Its time had ended even though it was meant to last forever. What remained behind were urban spaces – constructed utopias harbouring promises of the future that were suddenly regarded as empty. In his photo essay, Eric Meier reminds us that political upheavals can also determine the half-life period of masterpieces.

Colour photograph of an artistic object: it shows a half-weathered chunk of concrete interspersed with stones of various colours, whose shape is reminiscent of a lying triangle. Leaning against it is a deformed glass block. It looks as if it has collapsed in on itself. Only the chunk of concrete seems to be holding it up. — ⁽²⁾

Colour photograph of an artistic object: it shows a hand cast in concrete with the arm attached, the index finger and thumb extended and the other fingers folded. The hand is attached to the wall at the arm joint. In the context of the photo essay, the photograph is arranged in such a way that the hand refers to the adjacent photo with a similar motif. — ⁽³⁾

Colour photograph of an artistic object: it shows a hand cast in concrete with the upper arm attached, the index finger extended and all the other fingers folded. The hand is attached to the wall at the upper arm. In the context of the photo essay, the photograph is arranged in such a way that the hand refers to the adjacent photo with a similar motif.

The old saying “You shouldn’t point a naked finger at dressed people” doesn’t always hold.

Colour photograph of an artistic object: A group of seven brown, severely deformed beer bottles can be seen. The bodies of the bottles have collapsed, are almost flat and have lost their volume. The bottles overlap each other in places and the openings of most of the bottles are tilted forwards. It looks as if they are leaning against each other. — ⁽⁴⁾

‘Social warming’ can quickly become a ‘social warning’ in societies.

The black-and-white photograph shows a large-scale sculpture in a park whose location cannot be precisely determined. The elongated sculpture consists of 48 identical square concrete segments, the inner surfaces of which are each pierced by three amorphous shapes (a smaller egg-shaped one, a slightly larger rounded one and an elongated one). Twelve of these identical squares are arranged in a row, each rotated differently. A total of four rows are mounted one above the other. The concrete shows signs of weathering and damage. Behind the sculpture, tall, leafy trees can be seen, as well as low, partially bare shrubs. Immediately in front of the sculpture are calf-high, herbaceous plants and two light-coloured square foundations. A lawn can be seen in the foreground. — ⁽⁵⁾

The black-and-white photograph shows a section of the facade of a GDR prefabricated building: at the very bottom, there is a very narrow strip of greenery, on which a broken facade element lies on the far left. Above the strip of greenery, the base can be seen, its plaster weathered, with a vertical line and a square shape drawn in light colour on the left-hand side. Approximately two-thirds of the image is taken up by the ground floor façade, consisting of an exposed concrete façade element with a two-part window, which was widely used in the GDR from the 1970s onwards. Four rainwater lines run from the lower edge of the window to the base. On the left edge of the image, a striking shadow gap can be seen from the top to the base. — ⁽⁶⁾

The main subject of this black-and-white photograph is a thistle plant without flowers growing on the bottom step of a classical-style outdoor staircase. Other steps also feature herbaceous plants and small pieces of wood. At the top of the staircase, the base and shaft of a classical-style column and the façade of a similar building can be seen. — ⁽⁷⁾

In the thicket of a constantly resurgent German jingoism.

An epoch that had better stay where it was.

Colour photograph of an artistic object: A deformed glass block can be seen on a chunk of concrete interspersed with different coloured stones. The glass block arches over the chunk of concrete, similar to a cushion. — ⁽⁸⁾

Colour photograph of an interior room taken from a strict central perspective: the image shows a panelled wooden double door (centre) and, to the right and left of it, a white wall with wood panelling in the lower quarter. At the bottom of the picture, herringbone parquet flooring can be seen, and at the top, a richly decorated stucco ceiling. Between the stucco ceiling and the upper door frame, nine circles, each with a large ‘A’ inside, have been engraved into the wall. This so-called anarchist symbol is known as a symbol of anarchism. — ⁽⁹⁾

What should and can still happen?
Perhaps it would simply help to scream
AAA AAA AAA.

Image list:

(1) (in the background) vorwärts/rückwärts [forwards/backwards], 2025 — 32 x 4,5 x 0,5 cm, insitu wall engraving ↩
(2) Komplexe/Complexe (WK V) [Complexes (WK V)], 2025 — 60 x 41 x 36 cm, deformed glass block, concrete ↩
(3) Auf Gute Nachbarschaft (Detail) [To being good neighbours (detail)], 2019 — each 16 x 13 x 8 cm, poured concrete, rebar ↩
(4) social warming II, 2025 — fused Sternburg beer bottles ↩
(5) Landschaft VI (gefangen) [Landscape VI (imprisoned)], 2022 — 59 x 79 cm, B/W pigment print ↩
(6) Spinne [Spider], 2021 — 85 x 60 cm, B/W pigment print ↩
(7) Eiche [Oak], 2019 — 168 x 120 cm, B/W pigment print ↩
(8) Komplexe/Complexe (WK VI) [Complexes (WK VI)], 2025 — 54 x 33 x 19 cm, deformed glass block, concrete ↩
(9) Access All Areas (AAAAAAAAA), 2024/2025 — 410 x 75 x 0,5 cm, in situ wall engraving, Basel Social Club ↩

Eric Meier, was born in 1989 in East Berlin and grew up in Frankfurt/Oder. He studied photography and sculpting at the Leipzig Academy of the Fine Arts, as well as the Ostkreuz School of Photography and the Berlin University of the Arts. A recurrent theme in his artistic work is the loss of communal utopias as a result of far-reaching social upheavals. Meier’s works have been shown at the Dresden State Art Collections and the German Federal Collection of Contemporary Art, among other institutions.

forwards/​backwards

Eric Meier

forwards/backwards