THE VACCINATION ART : GERMANY

 

CREATIVE GENIUS Art to lighten Covid-19 vaccinations German inoculation centres are displaying pieces by local sculpture.

A pink, human-like shape lies on the floor; something that looks like a bears claw juts from a rock-like sculpture: a kind of half-pipe and large marble blocks offer glimpses of their insides.

Gereon Krebber, a German sculpture and professorate the Düsseldorf Art Academy, has transformed part of the large steel-and-concrete hall of the Bottrop vaccination center into a sculptural landscape.

Weeks before people would On my way! In to be vaccinated, the city in western Germany therefore unexpectedly found itself with a new venue for culture. The project is grabbing attention because like everywhere else in the country, cultural events and and institutions are all in lockdown.

Bottrop, which usually holds an annual organ festival and a puppet theater festival, is no exception. The Josef Albers Museum, named after the former Bauhaus teacher and famous son of the city, is also closed.

Food for thought

The open space in the vaccination center came in handy as Bottrop native Krebber was supposed to show his sculptures at the new extension of the Josef Albertsons Museum. “We in Bottrop have what we have,” city spokesman Alexander Plasken told DW.

SO a new art space in the vaccination center is a nice coincidence, even if the center hasn’t opened its doors yet due to a vaccine shortage. For now, mobile vaccination teams are touring the city’s retirement homes to administer the first doses.

But the artworks at the center are bound to have an effect - not against the virus, of course, but perhaps, they can help take people’s mind off the dire situation for a short moment.

‘Microscopic but not visible ‘

‘ I wanted to find images for something that is there on a microscopic level but not visible,” Kroeber said, referring to the images for the invisible, deadly threat.

His sculptures are a mix of amorphous and architectural forms, which should not come as a surprise considering the fact that he studied with two artists who work with opposing formal languages, Tony CrGg and Hubert Kiecol.

Krebber sees himself as a ''sculptor of discord'' but emphatically does not want to come across as an “illustrator of the pandemic.” He is concerned with apologies and wants people who see his artworks to find themselves in the physicality.

“This is really a tough place,” mused Krebber, whose objects contrast with the hall’s stark business like optics.

On a silver platter

Of course, they meet all the requirements to contain fire hazards. For fire safety reasons, Krebber had to cover half the floor with plastic sheeting but that works well with the art objects, presenting them as if on a silver platter.

Bottrop is not the only German city that presents artworks in a vaccination center: the Bavarian city of Straubing put up art by regional artists on the walls.”Art can help get a grip on the mental stress caused by the coronavirus crises , argued Krebber. “ But you can also walk past it and don’t have to look at it. That’s the nice thing about it!”

The World Students Society thanks The Express Tribune.