Wiener Mural von Kands: quick decision to remove

Von WOM

In a crucial step to quickly remove a controversial wall painting in Mariahilf, there was a breakthrough in the petition committee last week. The discussions about the future of Helmut Kand's work of art intensified after an intervention by feminist initiatives, which have been advocating the image since summer. Kand was legally convicted of two women in 2022, which significantly reinforced the pressure to remove his mural.

The decisions of the Petitions Committee at that time ultimately meant that all parties in the district, including district head Markus Rumelhart from the SPÖ, agreed to remove the mural. In a recent session, the responsible city councilors, Kathrin Gaál and Veronica Kaup-Hasler, also pointed out that the city would like to paint the picture soon. Here they were swung from an elaborate artist competition and pleaded for a faster, neutral overpainting of the factory.

overpainting of the mural in the prospect

It was originally planned to remove the mural as part of a competition for redesign by national artists. Kaup-Hasler estimated the period at about 16 to 18 months. However, the ÖVP was not fast enough for this delay. Already in October she asked the municipal committee the immediate overpainting, which was initially rejected because the upcoming decision of the Petitions Committee wanted to wait.

After the approval of the Petitions Committee last week, the ÖVP submitted an application, this time together with other parties such as SPÖ, Neos, Greens and FPÖ. This all-party resolution required the immediate redesign of the murals in order to maintain respect for the victims of sexual violence. The application justifies the urgency with the fact that the visual presence of the mural for the women concerned is problematic.

a strong sign of women's rights

The approval of the resolution means that not only the schedule for the overpainting is significantly shortened, but that the artist competition that was initially planned is no longer necessary. "The overpainting is an important sign, but it must not hide the fact that there is still a lot to do in Vienna. It takes a clear and long-term promotion of violence programs and initiatives that strengthen and protect women," explains the ÖVP councilor Silvia Janosch.

With this accelerated action, not only a visible sign should be set, but a debate about violence and feminist concerns should also be fired. The Mural is expected to be painted over in the coming weeks, which makes the concept of public art appear in a new light.

For more information about the developments on this matter, see the current reporting on www.meinbezirk.at .