Starting 20 June 2025, Haus am Lützowplatz in Berlin presents the solo exhibition Voices Searching for One Another by Potsdam-based photographer Göran Gnaudschun. The exhibition delves into collective memory and personal trauma among residents of Onna, an Italian village profoundly affected by a WWII massacre and a devastating earthquake in 2009.
Image above: View over ruins to Piazza Umberto, Onna, 2019
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of Europe’s liberation from National Socialism, Haus am Lützowplatz showcases a solo exhibition by photographer Göran Gnaudschun (born 1971 in Potsdam).
On 6 April 2009, at 3:32 a.m., a powerful earthquake struck the Italian city of L’Aquila and its surrounding region. The small village of Onna was particularly devastated, with 40 of its 300 residents losing their lives that night. The village had previously suffered during World War II when, on 11 June 1944, retreating German Wehrmacht soldiers committed a massacre and destroyed nearly a third of the buildings.
Onna stands as a place of collective grief. Nearly every family has endured loss, and many residents were buried under rubble. Even ten years later, many still reside in temporary housing adjacent to the ruins of their former homes. Reconstruction has been slow. Gnaudschun portrayed children, teenagers, and older residents, stating: “In their faces, I found sorrow and pain, but also resilience and strength—the deep will to move forward, to look ahead—for their families, their communities, and for those who were so suddenly taken from life.”
By utilizing archival and private photographs, Gnaudschun immersed himself in the village’s past. These historical images are juxtaposed with tranquil, uninhabited photographs of the present. His texts, derived from interviews, transcripts, and books, create a narrative layer that complements the visuals.
The massacre in Onna was one of many in Italy. German culpability has been slowly acknowledged and seldom atoned for. Earthquakes frequently occur in this seismically active region. Onna serves as a poignant example of how large-scale historical events deeply impact individual lives—how war inflicts suffering on civilians, and how trauma is transmitted through generations, exacerbated by subsequent catastrophes. Voices Searching for One Another is a work about memory, the passage of time, pain, and loss, but also about the human capacity to live life despite adversity.
The initial version of Voices Searching for One Another was curated and funded in 2019 by the Goethe-Institut Rome in collaboration with Casa Onna. A second version was exhibited in 2021 in the Italian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale.
Haus am Lützowplatz now presents the third, expanded, and final version of the exhibition. A companion book, designed by büro uebele and published by Edition Fotohof Salzburg, will be released at the conclusion of the project.
The exhibition is presented in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Rome and the German Academy Rome Villa Massimo.
Exhibition Program
- Friday, 20 June 2025, 7:00 p.m.
Opening / Eröffnung / Inaugurazione
Göran Gnaudschun - Wednesday, 2 July 2025, 7:00 p.m.
Artist Talk & Book Presentation
Göran Gnaudschun in conversation with Brigitte Werneburg - Wednesday, 16 July 2025, 7:00 p.m.
Curator’s Tour in Dialogue
Marc Wellmann in conversation with Barbara Esch-Marowski (Director, Haus am Kleistpark)
Language of events: German
WHEN?
Opening: Friday, 20 June 2025, 7:00 p.m.
Exhibition Duration: 21 June – 24 August 2025
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
WHERE?
Haus am Lützowplatz
Lützowplatz 9
10785 Berlin
