This sculpture created by a British artist has been picked as a memorial to the homosexual victims of the Nazis to be built in Vienna.
The Austrian capital has picked the work of art by Marc Quinn to be used when they build a memorial to the homosexual victims of the Nazis in 2021.
Under the Third Reich, from 1933 to 1945, gay men and women were persecuted, with thousands of homosexuals imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps.
The memorial is set to be built in the city’s Resselpark which is a park that is part of the iconic Karlplatz town square.
The winning design was also revealed there as can be seen from these pictures.
According to a statement by the city of Vienna, “Marc Quinn’s sculpture depicts the moment of the simplest and most elementary interpersonal touch. His design shows two pairs of hands lying tenderly on one another – on the one hand by two men, on the other hand by two women.
“These pairs of hands seem to be chopped off on the wrists and convey the greatest brutality at the moment of loving touch. The design reflects this ambivalence in aesthetic clarity and impresses on an intellectual as well as an emotional level.
“Due to the mirrored cut surfaces of the wrists and the table top, the viewer becomes part of the work of art and cannot avoid grappling with the themes of same-sex love and its persecution.”
The competition to come up with a design was launched by the Vienna Anti-Discrimination Agency for Same-Sex and Transgender Lifestyles (WASt) and Art in Public Space Vienna GmbH (KOR).
A 16-member jury selected the project by the British artist, and Juergen Czernohorszky, City Councillor for Anti-Discrimination is quoted in a statement released by the city of Vienna as saying: “I am delighted that today we can present the winning design for the memorial to the women and men who were victims of the gay persecution in the Nazi era.
“Right from the start it was very important to me that we implement this historically important monument in dialogue and with the broad participation of the communities.
“With the memorial, we create visibility for a group of victims that has been invisible for far too long. It enables dignified memories and reminds us not to repeat the darkest chapter in our history.”
And Veronica Kaup-Hasler , Vienna’s City Councillor for Culture, said: “A permanent memorial to homosexual victims of National Socialism is an important and necessary sign of recognition and appreciation in public spaces.
“The winning design that we are presenting today is the last step on the way to its realisation. The memorial also symbolises the rejection of any form of homophobia and reminds us to stand up for human rights when they are in danger.”
And Peter Kraus of the Green Party added: “For far too long, the victims of homosexual persecution were invisible during the Nazi era. After many years of temporary projects, the permanent memorial now creates the historically necessary visibility and reminder of the darkest chapter in our history.”
He added that the sculpture “sends a strong signal against violence, hatred and homophobia.”
Marc Quinn, 56, is British and is regarded as one of the leading artists of his generation. His sculptures, paintings and drawings explore the relationship between art and science, man and nature, the human body and perception of beauty.
One of his most famous works is Alison Lapper Pregnant, a statue of English artist Alison Lapper that stood on the fourth pillar of Trafalgar Square in 2007.
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