Ruth Beckermann
Wax & Gold
October 5, 2026
"He almost never spoke and often seemed sad." Ruth Beckermann's image of the Ethiopian King Haile Selassie was marked by childlike curiosity. Later, the fantasy's spell was broken by Ryszard Kapuściński's The Emperor, a political parable about power and corruption using the example of Selassie – after the monarch was overthrown in 1974 following a decades-long reign. In the Hilton Hotel in Addis Abeba, built long ago by Selassie and the main location of Beckermann's filmic search for traces, history and the present, Italian fascism and post-colonialism, hopes and dreams, lies and truths begin to melt together like under a burning lens – like liquified wax that surrounds hard gold. "Images overlap and contradict each other," notes Beckermann in her voice-over, providing more questions than answers. And thereby proving that her curiosity is as strong as ever. (Michael Pekler / Translation: Ted Fendt)
Ruth Beckermann in conversation with Michael Loebenstein
"He almost never spoke and often seemed sad." Ruth Beckermann's image of the Ethiopian King Haile Selassie was marked by childlike curiosity. Later, the fantasy's spell was broken by Ryszard Kapuściński's The Emperor, a political parable about power and corruption using the example of Selassie – after the monarch was overthrown in 1974 following a decades-long reign. In the Hilton Hotel in Addis Abeba, built long ago by Selassie and the main location of Beckermann's filmic search for traces, history and the present, Italian fascism and post-colonialism, hopes and dreams, lies and truths begin to melt together like under a burning lens – like liquified wax that surrounds hard gold. "Images overlap and contradict each other," notes Beckermann in her voice-over, providing more questions than answers. And thereby proving that her curiosity is as strong as ever. (Michael Pekler / Translation: Ted Fendt)
Ruth Beckermann in conversation with Michael Loebenstein