Yoshinori Niwa
Withdrawing Adolf Hitler from a Private Space, 2018
12-channel video installation and clothing collecting container
01:34:18
Copyright the artist
Austria was a part of Nazi Germany from 1938 to 1944, and especially the city of Graz was given an honorary city title “City of Popular Uprising” because of its...
Austria was a part of Nazi Germany from 1938 to 1944, and especially the city of Graz was given an honorary city title “City of Popular Uprising” because of its pre-Anschluss (pre-annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany) pro-Nazi demonstrations. After World War II and Nazi-Germany, Austria became an independent country. It is said that many people in Austria still keep relics of their family such as Nazi or SS uniforms, which are prohibited to be shown in public and its unclear how to dispose of them. In this work, Niwa installs a clothing collecting box at the central park in Graz and calls for residents via mass-media, including newspapers and magazines, to participate and throw away their Nazi relics. Niwa visits apartments to elicit donations and uploads these visits almost every day on the Internet.