BURKHARD SCHITTNY, Fineart

henkersmahlzeit

HENKERSMAHLZEIT
LEGACY PROJECTS 2015 / 187 x 140 cm / 74 x 55 in / archival inkjet print, framed / 3 + 1 AP

Quote from “Mein Kampf” (English title “My Struggle”) by Adolf Hitler.

"Da ich jeden Morgen früh schon vor 5 Uhr aufzuwachen pflegte, hatte ich mir die Spielerei angewöhnt, den Mäuslein, die in der kleinen Stube ihre Unterhaltung trieben, ein paar Stücklein harte Brotreste oder Rinden auf den Fußboden zu legen und nun zuzusehen, wie sich die possierlichen Tierchen um diese paar Leckerbissen herumjagten."

Translation:
"Since I usually woke up way before 5 am in the morning, I got into the habit of doing this shenanigan, where I put some pieces of hard bread or bread crust on the ground for the mice amusing themselves in the little parlor, just to watch how this droll animals are chasing themselves around the few treats."

INTRODUCTION
The simply objective, graphic depiction of a 1925 text passage from Hitler's "Mein Kampf" describes how mice argue over leftovers of bread and how the author enjoys it. The text is of dark symbolism and anticipates the horror in the ghettos and concentration camps. It is the banality of evil that catches the eye here. Only the caption to the picture identifies Adolf Hitler as the author of the text passage.