Border roses

Artworks

Description

There are a total of three border roses in Eurocity Guben-Gubin - two on the Polish and one on the German side. Each of the sculptures shows an abstract outline of a rose flower seen from above - its reflection has been treated on a square steel plate below. The whole is placed on a concrete plinth and integrated into a small landscape architecture.

Historical background

Artist Thomas Rother's Border Roses are part of a European border project he has been working on since 2005. As part of this project, the steel sculptures, which symbolise the idea of reconciliation, are set up at sites that recall the tragic events of the Second World War. In total, there are already 45 sculptures in France, Poland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany.

Information about the artists

Thomas Rother is a German painter, writer, journalist, and collector with an atelier in Zollverein in Essen.

Born on 06.05.1937 in Frankfurt (Oder) (Germany)
1955: Moves to the Federal Republic of Germany
1956: journeyman exam, profession of bricklayer
1959-1961: studies in journalism, sociology and German studies at the University of Münster
1961-1962: editor of a semester journal
From 1962: journalist
From late 1960s: publication of literary works
From 1981: visual artist (wood, stone and steel sculptures, installations, and graphics)
1981: Luise Rinser Award
1984-1985: visiting professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen
1990: scholarship from the Alfred and Clare Pott Foundation
1995: Cultural Prize of the Rhineland Evangelical Church
2000: scholarship from the Sutter Group a.g.

Artwork review

»Symbolically, these roses are a sign of international understanding of peace on the borders of Germany. It is not without reason that the artist from Essen, Thomas Rother wanted to commemorate the victims of World War II with these steel roses. He sees his sculptures as a gesture of reconciliation: flowers instead of weapons« - Ute Richter, 11/11/2018, Lausitzer Rundschau.