American artists on show at the Amerika Haus

You may have heard that John Kerry's sister, Diana Kerry, was in town this week. She gave two talks and answered the questions of American voters living in Bavaria. On the day of the talks, the Amerika Haus also displayed a small exhibition by three American artists living in Munich. The artists had produced a set of striking posters, each created using some of the horrific images from ongoing troubles in Iraq. Unfortunately the artworks were on display for one day only. So if you didn't see them, you've probably missed them. But if you'd like to know more about the motivation behind these posters, and the artists who created them, ...

[img]http://www.toytowngermany.com/munich/painweb.jpg[/img]
Image by Marina Mecl

"The development and escalation of events in the past four years - September 11th, the war in Afghanistan, the war and carnage in Iraq, the unknown happenings in Guantanamo Bay detainment camp - have left most Americans in despair and mourning."

"All the things we treasure in America - human rights, international law, respect for all religions and civilized behavior - have been violated. As artists we each felt the urgency to address the atrocities and our pain and concern in our artwork."

[img]http://www.toytowngermany.com/munich/libertyindangerweb.jpg[/img]
Image by Marina Mecl

Arline Basescu is a multi-media artist who lives and works in Munich.

"The theme behind my work 'America is Bleeding' and 'Jail House T-Shirts' is to analyze and confront the web of deceit, manipulation and embarrassment we all feel today as Americans."

Myra Brooklyn, Brooklyn born, New York - Munich based multi-media artist, has had numerous exhibitions in Europe and in the U.S.A.

"The unsettling, pernicious and momentous escalation of events during the past years has forced me to address the horrors that have transpired in our times."

Marina Mecl studied art, sociology and art education in Berkeley and Munich. She taught art and ethics at a Bavarian gymnasium 29 years. She makes her digital photomontages in the intimacy of her home in Munich.

"The heartbreaking pictures of the war in Iraq juxtaposed and merged with my photographs of flowers."

Enquiries by e-mail to: MarinaMecl (at) aol (dot) com

This is sociopathic garbage masquerading as art. Do something to highlight the victims of 911 you nitwits.

Same old song and dance. While there are some horrible things that have happened in Iraq, nothing compares to the terrorism we have seen and will continue to see. Do something useful and show through your "art" the atorcities of radical Islam. But that wouldn't be PC would it?

Sickening.

Hey Jack, you are of course allowed to have your opinion of others art (and of politics), but don't expect artists to follow what you tell them to do. If you want it that bad, make your own art to show what you want.

Hi Jack, You obviously didn't look carefully. Blurred images of the poor victims of various groups appear in my work.

P.S. to Jack: There is an explicit reference to September 11th in our introduction, which you can read above.

Just wanted to say that I think (in my humble opinion) the art displayed is powerful & pertinent. To quote Jeanette Winterson
' Art Objects': ie often its not just about pretty pictures but actually making a statement, communicating something to others. Whether others agree or disagree with that statement - well that's besides the point when judging the work as 'good' (in today's postironic post modern world, what does such a subjective word really mean, anyway? :))- or not.

Thank you for your brave work & keep creating!

A lecture about this subject:
"No Dead Bodies"
Lecture in German by Dr. Gerhard Paul, Social Scientist, Professor of History and its Didactic, University of Flensburg.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
7 p.m.
Evangelische Stadtakademie
Herzog-Wilhelm Str. 24, Munich
In cooperation with the Petra Kelly Stiftung
(€ 7.-/6.-)
info@evstadt-akademie.de
Synopsis:
Both an oil painting and a video can be used as vehicles to influence our perception of a war. A survey of the last two centuries and current armed conflicts reveals the manipulative efforts of persons in power. How does the Media react when confronted with the reality of war?

Any information on artist Siri Mills. American living in Munich. Thank you.

Now had these artists been teenagers doing a photoshop montage course, I would have perhaps been impressed, but must say, the Art Brut movement has long since past. Is this what its come to, some playschool pastiches thrown together in a couple of minutes representing the horrors of war.

The only horror in these kitsch wrapping papers is the belief that there is any underlying artistic merit. If you want war artists, look at Picassos Guernica, or Goya, or what about Peter Howson.

No, I'm sorry, this is not art, this is something that you'd see behind the presenter on CNN as Ms Mecl says "in the intimacy of your (her) home in Munich"

This is not challenging, this is not shocking or thought provoking, printing something as a poster and puting it on the wall does not make it art. If it has nothing to say, it may as well be wallpaper . It doesnt have to be new, it doesnt even have to be beautiful, but at least let it stimulate some free thinking, which this most certainly does not.

It may be work in progress but it is certainly not progressing.