The Facts
On September 16, 2026, Sadie Coles HQ announced that Paloma Varga Weisz's work 'Stommelm' is on view at the Stommel Synagogue in Pulheim, Germany, until December 6, 2026. The installation reconstructs her father Feri Varga's studio—a tiny room on the second floor of his wife's Wilhelminian house in Neustadt an der Weinstraße, where he painted after fleeing persecution. Feri Varga, who discarded his Jewish origins and changed his name, moved to Germany from Cagnes-sur-Mer in 1961, a return marked by deep trauma and silence that has shaped his daughter's practice. The work is presented in the former cult room of the synagogue, a site representing Jewish life, repression, and survival.
The Signal
The project signals a significant step in Paloma Varga Weisz's ongoing exploration of memory and displacement through spatial reconstruction. By placing her father's private workspace in a charged public venue, she transforms a personal narrative into a broader meditation on inherited trauma and historical distance—viewers cannot enter the room, echoing the impossibility of fully re-experiencing the past. For collectors and curators, this exhibition underscores the gallery's commitment to site-specific, conceptually driven installations that engage with difficult histories.
- Artists: Paloma Varga Weisz, Feri Varga
- People: Paloma Varga Weisz, Feri Varga
- Galleries: Sadie Coles HQ
- Museums: Stommel Synagogue
- Locations: Pulheim
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