Die Treibende Kraft

Summary

This documentary profiles artist Angelika Nain, who has been living and working for nearly three decades in the small town of Trossingen in southern Germany. Her artistic practice spans painting, printmaking, and sculptural objects - characterized by a strong political stance and deeply autobiographical themes. Nain’s work draws on years of engagement with refugees, travels to Africa, and her time as a crew member on a Mediterranean sea rescue ship. Postcolonial questions, reflections on nature and mortality, and everyday observations - often inspired by her own garden - also feed into her creative process. The film follows Nain through her artistic and personal daily life: working in her studio, participating in regional events, and developing a self-organized book project on colonial history. Through interviews and observational scenes, she offers insight into her motivations, working methods, and political convictions. Footage from a 2005 documentary portrait of Nain by Karger, sharing the same title, is interwoven to trace the evolution of her artistic positions over time.