Clemens von Wedemeyer

In his film "Otjesd" ("Leaving" in Russian) Clemens von Wedemeyer recreates a scene in front of the German embassy in Moscow showing people standing on line to apply for a visa. The scene was reenacted on the outskirts of Berlin by Russian immigrant actors whose own stories are reflected in the film.

Russian immigration to Germany, which increased after the fall of the Berlin Wall, is also dealt with in the accompanying presentation of the genesis of the film, a "making of" that features interviews with the protagonists. "Otjesd," by contrast, recalls the surreal events of a dream.

"One special feature of 'Otjesd' is that it consists of a single, uncut tracking shot. The camera's slow, almost hypnotic movement through a desolate landscape, the whimsical characters and the lack of focus in places are reminiscent of the films of Andrei Tarkovsky (1932-1986), which provided a source of inspiration for Wedemeyer before shooting 'Otjesd.'" (From the catalogue for the exhibition "How German is it? 30 Artists' Notion of Home.")

Clemens von Wedemeyer was born in Göttingen in 1974 and lives and works in Berlin. The gallery's website can be viewed at www.galeriewolff.com