Vandalism in Stalden VS: Unknown persons took over the Killerhof Bridge overnight, also called Illas Bridge, sprayed in the Valais village. The historic building is full of pink paint. “I alerted the police,” says a reader reporter to Blick. “People stop everyone and take pictures of the pink bridge.”
The Valais canton police confirmed the graffiti attack to Blick. «We are informed that this bridge has been painted. The investigations are ongoing and it is very likely that this happened last night, »said the media spokesman for Kapo Wallis on Monday morning. Regarding a possible lawsuit, he refers to the municipality of Stalden.
The mayor has already inspected the site. However, it is still too early to talk about a possible lawsuit – the first clarifications are still ongoing.
Illegale Kunstaktion von Berner
As Blick research shows, the performance artist Barbara Kiener (43) from Interlaken BE is behind the color attack. In a written statement, the native of Bern writes that she uses “the radiance of monumental engineering as a symbol carrier for a connecting space” and creates “a gesture of encounter” through the staging.
The bridge symbolizes the connection between two different valleys, staging a gesture of encounter. “Continuous dialogue is very important, especially in these difficult political times. However, the action has no connection with the AHV reform, I chose the date by chance, »Kiener told Blick.
Not her first color hit
The pink color is a “temporary marking color” consisting of chalk powder and food coloring – it is therefore water-soluble. Kiener states that he himself informed the police and the community about the campaign via email: “It’s very important to me to do it myself. I really care about the gesture and the content. You should know what’s behind it.”
It’s not the first building the artist has painted pink. “It all started with the Hotel Schweizerhof in Interlaken. It was a listed building and was demolished,” said the 43-year-old. «Then I painted the former kiosk above Grindelwald. It was a small entry point, a tourist campaign.” At that time, she addressed the issue of glacier shrinkage.
Legally prosecuted only once
«A year ago I painted 365 anti-tank barriers pink. I was concerned with the hypocritical image of our neutrality. With the action, I criticized the ongoing war business, »explains the native of Bern.
“I was only legally prosecuted once,” says Kiener in an interview with Blick. “In most cases, the understanding of art stood out. Definitely also because the coloring is only temporary.”
Historical building
The Saas and Matter valleys meet at Stalden VS. Various bridges from different epochs stand for the brisk traffic that used to prevail in this region. The oldest of these bridges is the Chi Bridge from 1544.
Today, the Illas Bridge, which was completed in 1959 and is also known as the Illasbrigga or Killerhof Bridge, crosses the Vispa River at a height of 120 meters on the valley road in the direction of Saas-Fee and Zermatt.