The term “Rückschaufehler“ [hindsight bias] refers to a memory of one’s own prediction distorted by knowledge of the actual outcome of events. Since one does not want to admit how wrong one was once, the prediction is corrected in retrospect. In his long-term project “Rückschaufehler“, Eiko Grimberg observes the reconstruction of the Berlin Palace and deals with layers of German history that go along with it; he uncovers transitions from the Empire to National Socialism, the FRG and GDR, and finally to a reunified Germany. The various urban legends and realities that Grimberg explores in this project have in common the desire for historical correction. There is a certain ‘irony of history’ in the trail of stones. On the other hand, Grimberg documents the irony-free reconstruction of the Berlin Palace as a reference to the Prussian and colonial past, housing Berlin’s ethnographic collection today.
Eiko Grimberg is a photographer who works with text, photography, and video. He often employs the art form of visual essay. Excesses of everyday life constitute a central consideration in many of his works, showing irrational and unresolved moments.
