Ramesch Daha's exhibition 'Mein Österreich' ('My Austria') at TAXISPALAIS Kunsthalle Tirol transforms archival postcards into monumental blue murals. Through her signature monochromatic painting technique, Daha reimagines idyllic Austrian landscapes alongside testimonies from Austro-fascism and fragments of her personal archive, creating a confrontation between nostalgia and difficult histories. The exhibition, housed in a former post office, explores how postcards have historically shaped Austrian national identity and what gets remembered or forgotten in that process.
This exhibition matters because it challenges the romanticized, familiar narratives of nationhood and memory that postcards have long perpetuated. By enlarging and painting these images in blue, Daha forces viewers to slow down and reconsider the ideology embedded in seemingly innocent imagery. The work also connects personal and political histories, using the building's own history as a former post office to reflect on how messages and identities circulate. It offers a timely critique of how nations construct and maintain collective memory, especially relevant in contemporary debates about identity and historical reckoning.