The municipal council discusses removal of a mural of a convicted artist
The municipal council discusses removal of a mural of a convicted artist
In the heart of Mariahilf, a debate about a mural by the Austrian artist Helmut Kand causes turmoil. The artist was convicted of two models last year for sexual abuse. This has meant that the removal of this work of art is now being discussed in the municipal council.
The mural that can be found at Magdalenenstraße 33/Hofmühlgasse has stressful memories for many residents. One of the women affected, Gabriela*, who lives in the immediate vicinity, reports that she is constantly confronted with the image in her daily routine. "It was very difficult to live nearby. After all, I had to move," she says. Gabriela, together with a feminist initiative, Ni Una Menos Austria, and other supporters started to cover the image and started a petition that has already collected over 500 signatures and is now being treated in the Petitions Committee of the City of Vienna.
ÖVP and feminist initiatives are committed to change
The prominent support for the petition comes from the ÖVP, which has submitted an application to the local council in parallel. A spokeswoman for Ni Una Menos Austria emphasizes: "We want the city not to promote the image of a sex offender, while women have only received a symbolic compensation." The overpainting, according to the initiative and the ÖVP, would be a clear step towards healing for the women concerned who have to venture into this place in everyday life.
Despite the support of the ÖVP, the application in the local council could not receive the necessary majority, since the SPÖ and the NEOs spoke against it before the petition committee has made a decision. Nevertheless, the district parties in Mariahilf are clearly in favor of overpainting the mural. District head Markus Rumelhart (SPÖ) also expressed his support and sees an artistic redesign as positive.
"I hope for a strong sign of the unity of all factions that will also be heard at the city level," said Gerhard Hammerer from the ÖVP. The issue of violence against women could not only be symbolically, but also in the focus, especially since the "16 days against violence against women" soon be imminent.
The discussion about the mural by Helmut Kand is not just a question of art, but also has far -reaching social implications. As this case shows, dealing with art and its creators, who have committed criminal acts in the past, is a sensitive topic that affects many people.