Book Description
Tabea Blumenschein (August 11, 1952 – March 2, 2020) was a German artist, actress, and costume designer. She was renowned for her avant-garde works in the 1970s and 1980s, especially her collaborations with filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger. Blumenschein played the lead role in Ottinger’s film Ticket of No Return (1979), which explored the performativity of identity and gender. Her distinctive artistic style often challenged traditional gender roles, and she became known for her cross-dressing and diverse identity presentations. Blumenschein left a profound impact on the German art scene until her passing in 2020.
Ulrike Ottinger (June 6, 1942– ) is a German filmmaker, painter, and photographer. Her works are characterized by elements of fantasy and punk, often challenging conventional narrative structures and exploring themes of gender and identity.
Ottinger’s representative works include the “Berlin Trilogy”: Portrait of a Drunkard (1979), Freak Orlando (1981), and Dorian Gray in the Mirror of the Yellow Press (1984). These films are celebrated for their distinctive visual style and subversive depictions of gender roles.
In addition to fiction films, Ottinger has also produced numerous documentaries, such as the eight-hour-long Taiga (1992), which provides an in-depth exploration of the lifestyle and rituals of nomadic peoples in northern Mongolia.
In 2024, at the age of 82, Ottinger received the German Documentary Film Award’s Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring her outstanding contributions to art, photography, and cinema. Her works have been exhibited worldwide and have had a lasting influence on contemporary art and film.
“She, a woman of extraordinary beauty, was destined to become Medea, Madonna, Iphigenia, Aspasia. On a sunny winter’s day, she decided to flee solitude, to leave La Rotonda. She bought a one-way ticket—‘No Return. Berlin Tegel.’”
This is the opening scene of Ulrike Ottinger’s groundbreaking 1979 film Ticket of No Return, in which the “woman of extraordinary beauty” is none other than Tabea Blumenschein. Blumenschein defied all social conventions, embracing transformation and disguise. Through her unique avant-garde aesthetic, she collaborated with Ottinger to embody multiple identities, challenging norms while revealing the performative nature of gender.
For the first time, this book intertwines the perspectives of these two artists, featuring Blumenschein’s drawings alongside Ottinger’s photographs from their collaborative performances, initiating a dialogue on identity and art.
Details
Authors: Ulrike Ottinger (Author), Berlinische Galerie (Editor), Carina Bukuts (Contributor), Annelie Lütgens (Contributor), & 2 more
Publisher: Hatje Cantz
Publication Year: 2022
Size: 29 × 20 cm
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 576
