Veronika Dräxler conducts interdisciplinary research and works on patterns of processing cross-generational trauma caused by the abuse of power and how these shape cultural landscapes. The 2-channel film installation "Traces of Life/How to Kill: Hunt" and the accompanying environment form the first part of a three-part series of works in which she accompanies people who, in their respective spheres of influence, decide what must (survive) live or die in order to maintain a planned order. In the 1st part (Hunt/Hunting) she describes an act of appropriation and an empathy with the performative acts of hunting and killing by moving through the snowy landscape of Lapland with a Finnish hunter on cross-country skis. The film crew followed Russia's impending war of aggression on Ukraine at the same time as the hunt, as the shooting took place on January 29, 2022, near Posio, about an hour and a half away from the Russian border. The artist had the film images partially shot with a drone, which - knowing the context of the shooting conditions - scans the landscape similar to a military reconnaissance mission. The environment consists of artificial ground fog, hunting debris, and prints of photomontages on which the camouflage pattern of Berlin subway seat upholstery and that of Finnish hunting and military equipment merge. With her installations, she approaches the interface of nature and culture and, through this very interface, also points in the direction of media and their powerful contribution to controlled landscape production.

Audio installation with the support of Prof. Dr. Alberto de Campo.

Infos about the artist: veronikadraexler.de

Instagram: veronikadraexler