Kersty Grether und Sandra Grether: »Rebel Queens – Rebellion ist die höchste Form der Andacht«

With »Rebel Queens«, sisters Kersty Grether and Sandra Grether create a walk-in diary somewhere between reading, concert. and art installation. The starting points are their acclaimed bestseller »Rebel Queens. Frauen in der Rockmusik« and the new book »Patti Smith. 100 Seiten«. They weave the songs from the book into a sacred mashup mass. Together with songs from »Mondscheinpsychose, Bordsteinrose«, the latest album by their band The Doctorella, these elements form a rebellious visual performance of colour rush, noise pop, and the power of words – not a sterile reading, but an aesthetic response to negativity. They are joined by bandmate Gordon Ashdown on bass and drums, with Sandra on electric guitar and Kersty on piano.

At its centre is synaesthesia as creative impulse: colours become audible, words appear as objects in space, and music turns into images. The ascetic energy of rock’n’roll meets the idea of colourfulness as a shield against grey stereotypes.

As pioneers of pop feminism in Germany, they speak of pop icons such as Madonna, Rosalía, and Pussy Riot as unconquerable forces, tracing their strategies of moving forward to break free: the abilities that enabled them to resist opposition and imposed identities. Especially those musicians confronted with strict Catholic values did not simply leave religion behind, but danced against rigid sexual morality. To shine alongside these queens of pop, the Grether sisters adopt the guise of a devotional act reminiscent of goddess worship, making inner worlds outwardly tangible. A poetic total experience full of humour, intimacy, and empowerment – and brimming with the themes that turned pop culture and feminism into manifesto and movement.