Columbine, mixed media collage, 2000

The collage deals with the aftermath and is a reaction to the 20 April 1999 Columbine High School Massacre. This was the first time for a foreign media event to leave such a strong impression on me that I felt the need to react on it artistically. The work includes photo-copies from Magazine photos of the post-massacre scenery as well as quotes from the bible aligned beside quotes from various song texts of bands accused of having influenced the two killers. The collage deals overall with the topic of guilt, trauma and failure, as well as the same questions being asked over and over again, and which particularly Christian hysterics and moralizers continue feeding on. The question remains in how far these very same people with their agenda do not contribute indirectly to such happenings…

Media used: gypsum, red paint, varnish, blood, photo-copies from magazine articles, bible quotes

I was forbidden to exhibit this work in school. Later it was allowed for display at the top floor of the school building to avoid fifth-graders being confronted with it. I felt the teachers widely underestimated the intellectual capabilities of younger folks.

The collage itself was damaged during several movings and was later trashed. This photos shows it hanging in my former apartment and is the only record.