Claus Richter

LSBTIQ+ Erinnerungsort Düsseldorf

A Platform for Collective Remembrance

Claus Richter’s (b. Lippstadt, 1971; lives and works in Cologne) creative practice spans diverse media, from installation art, pictures, objects, and videos to puppet plays and performances. 

The publication LSBTIQ+ Erinnerungsort Düsseldorf von Claus Richter documents the genesis of the work Ein seltsam klassisches Denkmal (A Strangely Classical Monument), which was inaugurated on the meadow along the Rhine in Düsseldorf in October 2021. Claus Richter conceived of the group of bronze figure as marking both a place for commemoration of people who were persecuted because of their sexual identities, and a lively meeting spot for the LGBTIQ+ community. In a variation on the characteristic appearance of classical monuments, which show historic figures in larger-than-life likenesses and heroic poses, Richter’s work immortalizes four people from different gender and sexual spectrums; as representatives of the manifold ways of life in the queer community, they are united in struggle and solidarity. The richly illustrated book, with accompanying writings, sheds light on the creation of the monument and evolution of the site.