The Wende Museum Presents Visions of Transcendence: Creating Space in East and West Ceija Stojka and Scenes of Roma Life

Culver City, CA (Nov. 9, 2023) – The Wende Museum, an institution dedicated to bringing Cold War era history and culture to life, is thrilled to announce the opening of two timely new exhibitions Saturday, November 11: Visions of Transcendence: Creating Space in East and West and Ceija Stojka and Scenes of Roma Life. Bound by the theme of using art to illuminate even the darkest of situations, these exhibitions emphasize the stories of artists often excluded by the mainstream, including the incarcerated, the unhoused, the stateless, and genocide survivors. Taken together, these shows reveal the incredible value of creative expression in challenging circumstances.

Visions of Transcendence: Creating Space in East and West

Visions of Transcendence casts a spotlight on those who have faced severe restrictions to their freedom or lacked a place to belong. The exhibition, encompassing both the East and West, showcases a myriad of artistic forms—drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, social art practice, and more. Crafted by incarcerated and unhoused artists and their allies, these works are a testament to how art can become a sanctuary and a means of escape during the harshest of times.

Featured artists include Gil Batle, Manuel Compito, Dávid Horváth, Leonid Lamm, Omid Mokri, Monica Nouwens, Jared Owens, Bumdog Torres, Tamás Urbán, and Obie Weathers. Presented in collaboration with institutions including Archive of Modern Conflict, Archive of Border Criminologies (Immigration Detention Archive, University of Oxford), Fresno Skateboard Salvage, the Future IDs Project led by Gregory Sale, Huma House, Los Angeles Poverty Department, Museum of Chinese in America, Nochlezhka, The People Concern’s Studio 526, Prison Arts Collective, and Prison Photography.

Ceija Stojka and Scenes of Roma Life

Delve into the resilient world of the marginalized Roma and Sinti communities, where art and memory converge to challenge adversity. At the heart of this exhibition lies the work of Ceija Stojka, a Holocaust survivor whose evocative art pieces echo the trials and triumphs of the Romani community. Complementing her works are intimate photographs that capture the everyday life of Roma and Sinti people in Cold War Eastern Europe, illustrating the community’s perseverance and cultural vibrancy.

These exhibitions will be on view from November 11, 2023, to April 7, 2024.

Also on view is Anne Bobroff-Hajal’s monumental work Darling Godsonny: Ivan the Terrible Advises the Infant Stalin and the guardhouse installation Wende Times, a “fake newsstand” that was conceived and and executed by six high school students working with Operation Progress, a South Los Angeles-based youth empowerment organization, during their professional development internships at the Wende Museum.

The Wende is an art museum, cultural center, and archive of the Cold War that preserves history and brings it to life through exhibitions, scholarship, education, and community engagement. Founded in 2002, the Wende Museum holds an unparalleled collection of art and artifacts from the Cold War era, which serves as a foundation for programs that illuminate political and cultural changes of the past, offer opportunities to make sense of a changing present, and inspire active participation in personal and social change for a better future.

The Wende Museum is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, visit wendemuseum.org or follow the Wende on social media: @wendemuseum.

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Media Contact
Andrew Hartwell
310-216-1600 x305
ahartwell@wendemuseum.org