Scandalous art campaign in Floridsdorf: Hitler greeting and Shocking Show!

Scandalous art campaign in Floridsdorf: Hitler greeting and Shocking Show!

Floridsdorf, Österreich - On Tuesday afternoon, a scandalous incident occurred in Floridsdorf that excited the mind. A 46-year-old Greek, who describes himself as an artist, showed the Hitler salute in front of the office building on the Spitz and exposed his genitals. The situation escalated when the man also masturbated and threw a glass bottle into the crowd. Passers -by were so horrified that they quickly informed the police.

as the Kurier , the man asked the passers-by and police officers at sexual acts. A 38-year-old woman documented the incident and described the behavior as the "masterpiece of his life", which was to indicate serious problems of humanity. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how exactly the connection between his "art project" and global challenges exists.

art or harassment?

The reactions to this incident are as diverse as the definition of art itself. Some of the performance is described by some as shocking and crazy, creating an inner tension, putting viewers into a state of uncertainty. In many discussions about freedom of art, the problem is discussed how far it can go without bothering the general public. Lawyers and art experts agree that the incident could possibly fall under the paragraphs for harassment of the general public, a legal field of tension that also addresses the Juraforum

The limits of freedom of art are repeatedly discussed in Austria. Incidents that are outraged by society, stimulate debates whether art can always provoke or whether it must remain within certain moral limits. This topic is also taken up by Politics Culture , which emphasizes the social responsibility of art and the need for discourse on artistic border crossings.

In the case of the Floridsdorfer incident, numerous advertisements were filed against the man, including for violations of the prohibition law and sexual harassment. The police were quickly on site, but the cause has not yet been interrogated. Fortunately, nobody was harmed by the broken glass bottle, but the examination of these extreme forms of expression of art remains a hot iron in the discussion about freedom of art and its limits.

How close art and social taboos lie together, became clear again in this incident. Does it make sense to create freedom for provocative art, or do we have to look stricter if such “works of art” pull society down to such a level? These questions will probably still keep us busy.