Shadow of a rainbow: memorial commemorates homosexual victims of National Socialism

2023-06-05 10:41:55

The sculpture in Resselpark is titled “ARCUS (Shadow of a Rainbow)” – citing the symbol of the LGBTIQ movement. The curved sticks are in the shape of a rainbow, but not colorful. Instead, the artists Sarah Ortmeyer and Karl Kolbitz chose mourning colors, i.e. different shades of grey. The monument should call to mind the dark past and also enable a discussion of the present, was emphasized at the media event with City Councilor for Culture Veronica Kaup-Hasler (SPÖ) and Deputy Mayor Christoph Wiederkehr (NEOS). It should, as Wiederkehr emphasized, represent a statement that reads: “Never again times like this.” Diversity is an asset, he assured.

The fact that the sculpture is not entirely grey, but at least has different shades of colour, also reveals a “residual resistance”, said Kaup-Hasler. However, she complained that homophobia was increasing again and that homosexual acts were punishable in many countries – for example in Uganda, where there was even a risk of the death penalty.

Rainbow Sculpture “ARCUS (Shadow of a Rainbow)”
Image: GEORG HOCHMUTH (APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

Hannes Sulzenbacher, the chairman of the competition jury that selected the design, referred to the history and thus the long ordeal of gay and lesbian people. Because homosexuality was forbidden from 1852 to 1971. The persecution of affected men increased dramatically after the “Anschluss”. Many were sentenced and around 100 people were deported to concentration camps. Less than a third of them survived.

But even after the end of the Nazi regime, the victims were denied recognition, for example by the victims’ associations or the parties, criticized Sulzenbacher. The survivors were simply convicted sex offenders. It was not until 2005 that the corresponding recognition took place, at a time when probably no one affected was alive, the jury chief suspected.

The plans to implement a memorial for homosexual victims of National Socialism in Vienna were repeatedly confronted with obstacles. The first winning design for the Resselpark was withdrawn by British artist Marc Quinn. The plan was to erect oversized hands that should have been placed on a mirrored table. The withdrawal was followed by a re-tendering.

Originally, the memorial should have been erected at Morzinplatz – where the Gestapo headquarters were once located. However, the project, which also included a pool with pink water, was not technically feasible on the site. Later there were temporary installations, for example at the Naschmarkt. The city and the National Fund of the Republic of Austria provided the total budget for the now finished memorial, amounting to 300,000 euros.