Gabriele Stötzer

Gabriele Stötzer, born in Emleben near Gotha in 1953, studied German and art education in Erfurt, was expelled from university for political reasons in 1976 and imprisoned for a year in 1977 for protesting against Wolf Biermann's expatriation. She then went underground as an artist. She published texts in the male-dominated East Berlin Prenzlauer Berg scene and was part of the Super 8 film underground. In Erfurt, she ran the private Galerie Im Flur and initiated plein air events, which were shut down by the Stasi. 

She co-founded the Künstlerinnengruppe Erfurt (artists' group Erfurt), which staged fashion shows and performances. Core members of the group, which also operated under the name Exterra XX, were Angelika Hummel, Bettina Neumann, Claudia-Morca Bogenhardt, Elke Carl, Gabriele Göbel, Gabriele Stötzer, Harriet Wollert, Ina Heyner, Ingrid Plöttner, Margarete Ehrhard (Birgit Quehl), Marlies Schmidt, Monika Andres, Monique Förster, Tely Büchner, and Verena Kyselka.  

Throughout her whole oeuvre Stötzer continuously She addresses feminist and socio-political issues and reflects on personal experiences from her time in the GDR. Gabriele Stötzer's work has been exhibited internationally since 2009. In 2013, she was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit and in 2024 the Bremen Pauli Prize. In 2026, the Gropius Bau will dedicate a solo exhibition to her.