Glazed in a cool, ashy colour palette, the bas-reliefs from Pauline Curnier Jardin’s series Was man aus Liebe tut (What One Does for Love) appear as if cast in moonlight. Functioning like movie posters and other forms of advertising, which have a long and complicated relationship with the objectification and commodification of female bodies, the bas-reliefs offer a glimpse into the narrative histories surrounding Germany’s Trümmerfrauen. Drawing on archival material, these works explore the parameters of how women are used and consumed in society.

The role of the Trümmerfrauen—women tasked with clearing the wreckage that littered German cities after the Second World War—is often disputed. While their image was widely used as a tool to promote social unity and a strong work ethic, their collective efforts cleared only a small portion of the cities’ rubble. In Curnier Jardin’s bas-reliefs, therefore, the women, often dressed in nylon stockings, heels, and headscarves, express varying degrees of fear and exhaustion in response to the appropriation of the female body for political and social coercion. Many of these figures also cover their faces with their hands or with moon-like facial masks.

The title was found in one of the many photographs used to instill hope and optimism in German – written on a wagon in the background of a cheery portrait of trümmerfrauen women working together.