The Mauthausen Showers,
by Jennie
Accusations of “extraordinary bad taste” were levelled Sunday after details emerged of an Austrian designer snapping nude photos at a former Nazi concentration camp.
Gudrun Geiblinger, an up-and-coming poster designer, used the memorial site at the former Mauthausen death camp as backdrop for nude photos of herself, the news magazine Profil wrote in its latest edition.
“Extraordinary bad taste” - Nazi camp site in nude photos
I think I would have less of an objection if the works were politically motivated or used the location as part of a ’story,’ but as it appears to have been chosen purely for it’s look and how she would look next to it, it seems a pretty cheap reason to degrade the location of such atrocities. It’s interesting that this is being raised about ten years after the photos were taken, it makes me wonder if it is a cheap attempt at publicity and controversy.
I have visited Mauthausen, on a field trip with my school. the site has become a memorial with a museum dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust. Mauthausen is particularly known for the appalling medical experiments conducted under the guise of furthering the ‘master race.’ Mauthausen had a palpable feel to it that left none in our group unaffected.
It is stories like this that I believe hinder the furtherance of nude art. I do not know if Geiblinger took these photos for shock value, to create controversy or purely as a ‘thought experiment’ but I do agree that her taste was questionable. I am not opposed to the concept as much as the way it was conducted. there are some very striking and poignant nude pieces that highlight the atrocities of the holocaust. Looking at Geiblinger’s website, she has several pieces which seem to celebrate and popularize war and I wonder if her “provocative” poses might be more of the same.
Tags: Art, art news, controversy, Geiblinger, holocaust
Doesn’t sound like the brightest idea.
-J. Kaiser
Let’s look at the photos before we make too many assumptions…maybe there is some artistic reasoning. Maybe.
I tried to find the photos in question, noone seems to have them including Geiblinger, I will keep looking and if I find them I will put them up.
Odd, seems a bit sad.
So the photographer in questions is getting all this free publicity and is no where to be seen? What a waste. If I had this publicity I would be standing right in the lime lighte saying look at me! Sure, I am a thoughtless jerk, but come see my work!
Heather Flanagan
http://www.peoplegeek.tv.
Unless there is some irony or satire associated with the shoot, it is an abomination. Not everything in the world can subserve art. I mean you could piss on some child amputees and take a picture, but calling it art would not make it ok. Yuck!