Exhibition 'Barbara Yelin'

German comics artist Barbara Yelin (b. 1977, Munich) is known for atmospherically dense drawn and painted graphic novels with sensitively told stories. In her first books, ‘Le Visiteur’ (2004) and ‘Le Retard’ (2006), which were initially published in France, she established her style: narratively powerful, visually nuanced. Her work often focuses on stories of women’s lives, embedded in well-researched, historically accurate contexts. In order to avoid clichés and to convey politically charged themes in new images, Yelin uses ambivalence and ruptures: Each of her albums is stylistically unique and the drawing technique always depends on the content.

In ‘Gift’ (Poison), she portrayed a female serial killer executed in the early 19th century, while in ‘Irmina’, a young woman is faced with the opportunity to climb the social ladder under the Nazi regime. Yelin has recently released a graphic-novel adaptation of the biography and memoirs of Emmie Arbel, who survived three Nazi concentration camps as a child. This compelling portrait of a strong woman is underpinned by multifaceted reflection on traumatic experiences, and on how they can be dealt with in a life-affirming way. The dialogue project ‘Wie geht es dir?’ (How are you doing?), which Yelin co-initiated, resulted in a 2025 publication about racism and antisemitism. ‘Die Giehse – Ein Leben für das Theater 1898–1975’ (Giehse – A Life Devoted to Theatre, 1898–1975), explores the life of the exceptional actor Therese Giehse, from the big stage to political resistance, and from Bertolt Brecht and the cabaret ensemble Pfeffermühle to exile.

Yelin’s multi-award-winning oeuvre, translated into more than ten languages, includes graphic novels, webcomics, comic strips, children’s books, and comics for newspapers and magazines, including ‘FAZ’, as well as the anthology ‘Spring’, which was founded by female artists.

Her work is exhibited internationally on a regular basis. This, her first major solo exhibition, features original pages, stand-alone pieces and illustrations for magazines, thus providing an impressive panoramic view of an artistically mature storyteller’s output.

Vernissage: 27.11.2026, 6:30pm

Press conference: 26.11.2026, 11 am

Curator: Anette Gehrig