(Aachen, 06 February 2025) For the 25th time this year, Misereor is publishing a new hunger cloth, a central component of every Misereor Lenten campaign. It bears the title "Dreaming together - let love be action" and was designed by the Erfurt artist Konstanze Trommer. Since 1976, the hunger cloth has accompanied many people in Catholic and Protestant parishes and schools during the seven weeks leading up to Easter. It invites reflection and dialogue and offers space for discussions on important social and global issues.

Misereor revived the tradition of historical hunger cloths in 1976 with the first hunger cloth by the Indian artist Jyoti Sahi and has given it worldwide resonance over the past fifty years. Mostly designed by artists from the Global South, the Misereor hunger cloths enable an encounter with the life and faith of people from other cultures every two years.

"With the Hunger Cloth 2025/26, Erfurt artist Konstanze Trommer addresses current global threats such as climate change, conflicts, wars, populism and the division of societies. The world seems to be a place without hope and love. The hunger cloth provides inspiration for reflection on a necessary change: What gives us strength for a different view of tomorrow - a hunger cloth message that inspires and gives confidence," says Claudia Kolletzki, education officer at Misereor.

Traces of hope and an invitation to get involved

Konstanze Trommer designed the image of the hunger cloth as a digital photo collage and had it printed on canvas. The photos, which were later painted over and alienated, show people from Misereor's partner projects. Others were taken by the artist herself in her private surroundings. At the centre of the hunger cloth are children standing alone on a sandbank, surrounded by the sea and threatened by a storm. Nevertheless, the picture offers traces of hope: the children are actively tackling their survival and trying out what successful coexistence can look like. "Only active love - taking action and not just talking about it - will help us to overcome crises," emphasises Trommer. The hunger cloth is therefore an "invitation to intervene so that love can become a saving island in the sea of words", says the artist.