"August 6, 1870"
What does a 19th-century Algerian colonial soldier have to do with Freiburg? The exhibition “August 6, 1870” by Dutch artist Marcel van Eeden answers this question. The Museum für Neue Kunst (Museum of Contemporary Art) is showing the photo series at the Haus der Graphischen Sammlung through October 18. Isabel Herda curated the exhibition.
The sources of the 70 black-and-white images reveal what is known about the colonial soldier Ben Lahcen. The photos look somber, are not perfectly sharp, and show noticeable image noise. This is due to an old lens and the gum print process, a printing technique “that epitomizes the 19th century,” according to Marcel van Eeden, who was present in person during a tour prior to the exhibition’s opening.
The exhibition is set up as a kind of circular tour. Each wall illustrates the stages van Eeden went through in his artistic research to gain insight into the historical figure of Ben Lahcen. Immediately after the entrance, an additional wall is erected. It marks the beginning of the series of images. On display are photos of a stele in front of the Anatomical Institute. A bust of Eckers used to stand on it; it was removed in 2021. Next are images from Schwetzingen, where Ben Lahcen—wounded on August 6, 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War—was taken to the military hospital. After his death, his body was dissected over the course of several months, decapitated, and handed over to Ecker for further research.
Van Eeden discovered in Algeria that Ben Lahcen had enlisted in military service as a “volunteer” at age 17 and identified the barracks where he was stationed. However, according to van Eeden, further investigation proved difficult because official authorities showed no interest in the matter.
Rest and Remember
As little as is known about Ben Lahcen, he symbolizes the fates of many others during the colonial era. It is no coincidence that the series of images begins and ends in Freiburg. Parts of Ben Lahcen’s remains are still at the university; since 2001, he has rested in a room specially set up for this purpose—alongside others who were dehumanized by colonialist and racist scholarship.
Perpetration and coming to terms with the past lie close together there. The university also supported this exhibition with its expertise. During the tour, curator Herda from the MNK praised the artist’s work and highlighted the challenge of coming to terms with the Algerian’s life after such a long time: “It’s damn hard to find this truth.”
Van Eeden is now in contact with an art academy in Mostaganem (Algeria), near where Ben Lahcen lived. In a video segment, writer Xavier Le Clerc—who has Algerian roots—also provides commentary on the exhibition.
Opening Hours
Tue–Sun, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Fri, 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
