821377

821377 A photographic project by Alfred Schupler

In 821377, photographic art becomes an act of activism, a form of confrontation with both historical and personal memory. Alfred Schupler is not merely an observer of reality, but an explorer of trauma transmitted across generations. The project originates from a painful family memory: his grandfather, Johann Schupler, deported to the USSR, was reduced to a mere prisoner number — 821377. This code becomes the symbol of a lost identity, of a personal history dissolving into the collective tragedy of deportations.

The volume brings to the surface the echoes of pain and resilience left by the artist’s two grandfathers — one who returned from exile, the other who vanished in Siberia. The images captured in Ukraine, in areas marked by conflict, resonate with these family histories, constructing a bridge between a traumatic past and a troubled present.

Through a profound conceptual and visual approach, Schupler questions the role of the artist in the face of violence: can aesthetics convey the complexity of war without aestheticizing it? Can beauty coexist with disintegration? 821377 offers no definitive answers, yet it proposes a disquieting reflection on identity, memory, and resilience.

The volume is published in a limited edition of 20 copies, numbered and signed by the artist. Eighteen copies will be donated to libraries and photography museums as part of a mission to recover and preserve collective memory.

The critical texts accompanying the work are signed by: Prof. Adrian-Silvan Ionescu, PhD Assoc. Prof. Raluca Tudor, PhD Carla-Francesca Schoppel and Alfred Schupler.

The volume contains 150 pages, in black-and-white and color, and was printed at Fabrik printing house.