The exhibition was developed alongside survivors of terror attacks in Europe to spotlight their stories, creations and trauma.
A team of researchers led by Dr Katharina Karcher, Associate Professor in German in the Department of Modern Languages, hosted an art exhibition at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RBSA) Gallery in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.
Developed in collaboration with survivors of recent terror attacks in the UK, Germany, France, and Spain, as well as international artists and researchers, Remembering is Painful, Forgetting is Unbearable presents a critical, survivor-centred perspective on terrorism in Europe today. The exhibition was curated by University of Birmingham graduate Azadeh Sarjoughian and produced by artist Tim Mills.
The exhibition features poetic collages, graphic narratives, videos, photographs, archival materials, and sculptures, including works by renowned artists Mathias Braschler, Monika Fischer, David Fritz Goeppinger, Bahareh Akrami, and Mathab Hussain, alongside archival sources and creative collaborations with victims of recent terror attacks in Europe.
Commissioned by the University of Birmingham, and a European Commission Grant, the exhibition invites audiences to witness trauma intimately—going beyond mere facts and examining the lived reality of experiencing a terrorist attack.
When asked about the project, Dr Karcher said: “Compared to armed conflicts around the world, the death toll from terrorism in Europe seems small. Yet, thousands of survivors live with the traumatic memories of attacks and/or have lost loved ones to terrorism. And, as a cultural and political phenomenon, terrorism impacts us all – albeit in different ways. This exhibition seeks to open dialogues to challenge existing perspectives of the experience of victimhood, by hearing directly from the people impacted by these events.”
The exhibition ran from 11-22 February 2025, including a special public workshop on creative responses to terrorism on Saturday 15 February. Speakers included Figen Murray, a prominent campaigner and researcher, who lost her son in the Manchester Arena bombing and Bahareh Akrami, a survivor of the Paris attacks in 2015, who is now an acclaimed international artist.
“It was a truly transformative experience for me to work with survivors and victims of terrorism and to create a space in which works by internationally renowned artists feature alongside creative collaborations between researchers and people with lived experience of terrorist violence” said Dr Karcher, reflecting on the exhibition.
Visitors to the RBSA, including victims of terrorist attacks, described Remembering is Painful, Forgetting is Unbearable as “inspiring”, “uplifting”, and “healing”.
Dr Karcher summarised her thoughts on the exhibition by saying “Victims and survivors of terrorist violence can gain a lot from engaging in creative practice, but creative responses to terror are of critical importance to us all. As the exhibition shows, they can communicate pain and loss, critically interrogate political debates about political violence, and invite us to imagine less violent futures.”
Associate Professor in German
Biographical and contact information for Dr Katharina Karcher in the Department of German Studies at the University of Birmingham
