“The Wolves Are Back” by Rainer Opolka. The Dresden installation, 16 March 2016, which was one of the locations in which the statues have been exhibited at. Image from SGI Canada.
Concerned about Germany’s indifference to racism, artist Rainer Opolka has erected an installation made up of a pack of over 60 wolves at Washingtonplatz, in front of Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Entitled “The Wolves Are Back”, the artwork aims at opening discussions about the overlooked topics of racism, violence and hatred that have sparked up in Europe recently. “The greatest enemy of democracy is indifference,” said Opolka. “In Germany, it looks like racism has now become standard. I don’t want people to get used to that”.
The installation greeting passersby consists of 8 different designs to represent the different types of individuals who are allowing the prevalence of neo-Nazi moral beliefs. Among the designs of the bronze and iron statues, the public can find representations of blind followers and xenophobic murderers, of which some have their gnarly paws moulded into Nazi salutes. After the numerous unfortunate events occurring throughout Germany, the importance of this installation has become evident. “Many people see terrorism on TV and that makes them afraid,” said Opolka. The problem, however, is that “they don’t see the difference between the terrorists and the people who have escaped terrorism,” he added. The statues, therefore, will encourage people to keep informed and to avoid taking attitudes towards minorities because of propaganda against ethnic groups. Another version of the installation can also be found in Dresden, the German city with the highest number of right-wing supporters.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIwUTm7hRa3/?tagged=thewolvesareback
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIwTwAQBQv5/?tagged=thewolvesareback
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIwSnCIBYyD/?tagged=thewolvesareback
“The Wolves Are Back” will be at Washingtonplatz, Berlin until 16 August 2016