(East) German painter and graphic artist Heidrun Hegewald talks about her life, her work and the working conditions that applied to her and other artists in East Germany. She touches on topics including: studying at art academies; membership in the Artists’ Union; programs to secure support for young artists; and the process by which artworks were commissioned by state organizations and art exhibitions.

Hegewald goes into some depth about her experiences around the creation of her painting Die Tanzmeister – Ein Bild über die falschen Töne (Grand Marshals: An Image of Distorted Sounds, 1980-81), the only state-commissioned work she ever undertook. Although she was one of fifteen GDR artist invited to contribute a piece for the new Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra building, her painting was never displayed there. Officials were not comfortable with her depiction of militarism and found her work unsuitable for a music hall. They did return the painting to her, however, so that she could submit it to the 9th National Art Exhibition in Dresden, where it was again controversial.

This unedited film interview was shot by Zeitzeugen TV, a production company that recorded countless interviews with East German intellectuals and officials in the years following the fall of the Wall and German unification.

(No subtitles. English translation available upon request.)