Can you help me identify this disturbing art?
One of my obsessions while traveling is to take photos of art exhibits of all kinds (including disturbing art) — in museums, galleries, parks and other public places.
Unidentified Exhibit in Cologne, Germany
I’ve shared many of them in various blog posts. However, I’ve been haunted by this window exhibit in Cologne, Germany that I photographed from outside last June. It was quite late after a full day of sightseeing and I snapped the photo without taking note of the specific place or the artist. It’s a rather disturbing, but interesting work and I’d like to find out about the artist’s intentions and perspectives.
Any ideas about the gallery or artist? I was more than likely in Altstadt between Alter Markt and Frankenwerft at the time.
What do you think about this exhibit? I haven’t decided.
Editor’s Update: October 31, 2017 — After soliciting help to identify this disturbing art, a Traveling with Sweeney reader came up with this information below and shared it in a comment.
“colognella
Found it: Gilbert Flöck’s installation „Dreigestirn“ (in Cologne: the carnivalesque triumvirate).
The description, roughly translated: “the installation stages variations of lust and vice, plays with fascination and disgust and broaches the issue of our society’s double moral standards. 15 portraits (Dolly Buster, Adolf Hitler, Josef Frizl et.al) support the striking personification of sex, power and violence. Carnival as “5th season“ allows to enjoy suppressed desires, and the church with conflicting rules of conduct, represented by the foot washing and the purgatory (144 crosses), complete the installation in which the skin color makes a human semblance.”
I’m tempted to say that it’s a war scene given the x’s at the bottom… Perhaps it has something to do with some crime, given the photos in the background and the jugs of what is presumably gasoline around the three men. Quite gruesome crimes I’d think. Creepy!
It is creepy, but I think there’s supposed to be a message against violence here. That’s what I’d like to learn.
I’ve no idea who the artist may by, but it’s a strange exhibition indeed.
Thanks for coming by! Hope I get to the bottom of this mystery.
It’s totally gruesome and disturbing and evokes in me a sense of cruelty and destruction. No idea who the artist is and honestly, I don’t think I would want to know.
I understand your reaction, Inka. I feel the same, but I don’t think the work is intended to endorse cruelty — I think it’s rather to abhor it. But …. won’t really know unless I get some information.
Very unusual and fascinating exhibit. Good luck finding the answer!
Thanks, Scott. Let me know if you come across anything similar in your travels. Might be the same artist!
Hmm… I don’t know where it is but it is disturbing… It almost seems like they are preparing for a mass suicide or something!
I wish I understood the photos behind the figures. I recognize a few pics. For instance, I think that’s Adolf Hitler top left. That would lead me to think that the work is a repudiation of Nazi torture. And there’s a picture of the Pope and I think, Barbara Eden (an actress). Don’t know who the others are.
It is an interesting exhibit! Looks like they are resting their feet on sinks. I was looking at the blond in the last row of pictures and she looks like Barbara Eden!
I’m pretty sure that is Barbara Eden — but I have no idea how she fits into this.
Well… It makes you wonder what the hell is going on. I guess on some level that makes it at least interesting. 🙂
I really think there’s a message here — one worth hearing, even though being sent in such a gruesome manner. At least I hope it’s not just a demented artist at work!
It feels like the art is saying some innocent people are being “crucified” for things they did not do.
I think you may have hit right on it, Annie. The photo of Hitler top left seems to lead in that direction. But I’m still not sure where this artist was coming from — what really was the intent of creating such a disturbing scene?
Can’t help here but I totally understand your fixation. It has MESSAGE written all over it but who knows what message! I’ll stumble it and maybe the artist will see it.
Found it: Gilbert Flöck’s installation „Dreigestirn“ (in Cologne: the carnivalesque triumvirate).
The description, roughly translated: “the installation stages variations of lust and vice, plays with fascination and disgust and broaches the issue of our society’s double moral standards. 15 portraits (Dolly Buster, Adolf Hitler, Josef Frizl et.al) support the striking personification of sex, power and violence. Carnival as „5th season“ allows to enjoy suppressed desires, and the church with conflicting rules of conduct, represented by the foot washing and the purgatory (144 crosses), complete the installation in which the skin color makes a human semblance.
Colognella – thank you so much for solving this mystery! It’s certainly a very interesting work and makes a person think. I’m going to take a further look at Flock’s website. Thanks for your time and research.
aha!