Loss 
2020

archival cotton-based inkjet print
109 x 119 cm

Text detail in the work:

Being confronted with the Pietà of Michelangelo means dealing with various forms of loss. The sculpture itself depicts the loss of Life (1) and the loss of a Child (2). In this press photo made just after the attack in 1972, the sculpted mother is mutilated: loss of an Eye (3), loss of a part of the Nose (4), loss of the Forearm (5), loss of the Hand (6). This can be interpreted as a loss of Senses: loss of Vision (7), loss of Smell (8), loss of Touch (9). The gesture of the left arm and the left hand of the sculpture - the presentation and offering of the dead body, and accordingly love, powerlessness, sorrow, and consolation - is not only a call to worship but also invites the viewer to engage with the event. The amputation of the left arm causes a rupture with the presenting and inviting gesture: loss of Gesture (10), loss of Presentation (11), loss of Invitation for Adoration, Engagement from the public, Love, Consolation, Compassion (12). Because of the attack, we are dealing with the loss of Beauty (13), loss of Purity (14), loss of Aesthetics (15), loss of the Original State of the sculpture (16) and herewith loss of its Value (17). The attacker acted out of madness: loss of Reason (18). He was overpowered by a group of bystanders: loss of Freedom (19), loss of Respect (20), loss of Human Dignity (21). The possibility to attack the sculpture showed its vulnerability: loss of Safety (22), loss of Security (23). After the attack, the sculpture underwent an integral restoration: loss of Visibility of its History (24), loss of clear Separation between Fact and Fiction (25). After the restoration, the sculpture is placed in theatrical artificial lighting and behind a glass wall: loss of Natural Light (26), loss of Accessibility (27), loss of Direct Contact (28), loss of Involvement (29), loss of Sensory Experience (30), loss of Historical Sensation (31). A sculpture that is deliberately made to experience in its proximity, to move people by its aesthetics, to call for worship, to invite people to involve with the depicted story, is no longer performing in that way: loss of Authenticity (32), loss of its Intentional Meaning (33).