During my time in Europe I have come across many reminders of World War II; scars in buildings, people, countrysides, attitudes, political systems, etc. This image is from 'The Gate of Death'. It's significance and seeing it for real sent shivers down my spine that stopped me in my tracks as I approached the former concentration camp Auschwitz I. Entering Auschwitz I, now a museum, is free (of charge) these days, so is leaving.
Many minorities were targeted for extermination by the Nazi's. 'Lest we forget' is a sentiment often heard and used as the reason why places like Auschwitz should be preserved. I could not help but notice that not all minorities who were singled out for extermination by the Nazi's were remembered through words, images, anecdotes or statistics. Unlike others they were not given a 'human face' in the exhibitions.
I found no references of any kind to those exterminated because they had an intellectual disability or mental illness. I only found a single reference to homosexuals in a display that explained the different badges prisoners were forced to wear for identification, such as the yellow star identifying Jews and pink triangles identifying homosexuals.
When I asked various museum staff about where I could find references to crimes committed to these minorities they did not have an answer, they did not know! If they don't know, how can the public at large ever find out? How can ignorance be transformed into awareness?
Leaving these crimes invisible creates a danger zone, a zone of shadow, the shadow side of being human, the zone where crimes are committed.
It is light itself that exposed Auschwitz I & II eventually. Without light we are lost, I am lost, without light I cannot be an artist, without Light I am back in the dark 'closet' , without light I cannot be me, without light I do not exist, therefor it is Light I will continue to seek even in dark places like Auschwitz.
'Frei'(German for free) the last word seen before prisoners entered the 'Gate To Death' to Auschwitz I.
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