H.N.5 515

“H.N.5 515 is a new work from Sława Harasymowicz which fuses personal biography and documentary records to explore one of the biggest Second World War maritime disasters; one that remains obscured in history and clouded in ambiguity.  Harasymowicz juxtaposes drawing, print, found footage, archives and sound as a way of unpacking the personal and public significance of a collective historical catastrophe and in interrogating the impulses of destiny, timing and control. 

On 3 May 1945, three German ships anchored in Neustadt Bay near Lübeck were torpedoed and sunk by RAF. Unknown to the British pilots, the ships were populated by thousands of primarily Polish and Russian prisoners evacuated from Neuengamme concentration camp. 

The title of the exhibition refers to numeric codes that the concentration camp prisoners were marked with in place of their names. The same numbers as archival references continue to designate their memory. In this case the number is revealed to hold a particular resonance for the artist as it denotes her maternal great-uncle, who perished on board of SS Thielbek at the age of 31.”

Curated by Dominik Czechowski

H.N.5 515 ran from 28 November 2015 to 9 January 2016.

Centrala, Unit 4 Minerva Works
158 Fazeley Street, Birmingham

In partnership with narrative projects London, and the Poetry Library, Southbank Centre.

Exhibition supported by:

Arts Council England, Polish Cultural Institute, University of the Arts London