Der naive Krieg

Two world wars have left a deep imprint on the collective memory of the European peoples, resulting in many works in folk and amateur art that are rarely seen. In "The Naive War," the artist Atak presents an impressive collection of artifacts from unknown amateur artists and confronts them with images from contemporary artists. For years, the artist Atak (Professor Georg Barber) has been collecting trench and folk art as expressions of a specific culture of remembrance. This collection includes miniatures of vehicles, ships, and airplanes—whether as toys for children, personal mementos, or strategic objects—alongside artifacts made from war scrap, personally designed field postcards, portraits of soldiers, drawings, and images of battles. All of these demonstrate that creativity and artistic expression emerge even in the most challenging circumstances.