Artist

Pictures in 99 Variations on Violence and Cruelty need no commentary, they are self-explanatory. The idea with the number 99 originates from Raymond Queneau’s Exercices de style. After witnessing an encounter on a bus and at the entrance to the Metro station in Paris, he composed quasi-poems in 99 different styles. The number 99 is the only connection to Queneau’s work. In those pictures, there is not only violence and cruelty; there is more than that. For instant foolishness, stupidity. Take the picture Arbeit Macht Frei. I don’t think cruelty itself adequately describes the invention of concentration camps. It’s downright idiocy, lunacy. But we tend to give events, behaviour, or situations names which partially disguise the real effect of the deeds that stand behind these words. Take smoking, for instance. It’s bad for your health, unhealthy habit, shortens your life. Yes, all of the above, but mainly it’s just plain STUPID! Now think about it, inhaling smoke into your lungs. In comparison to other living creatures, what do you think an antelope, a giraffe, or wild dogs in Africa would do when there is a bush fire? Oh, oh, look, there is a fire up there, let’s come closer and inhale some smoke into our lungs. No, they run away as fast as they can. Only we humans are so stupid and keep sucking on the cigarette to blacken our lungs. By the way, stop telling the youngsters that smoking is bad for their health. In their age, they couldn’t care less. Tell them that it is just plain stupid, moronic, and see how they take that. Besides, the tobacco companies have been lying to us about the effect of cigarettes on our health, are ruining environment, and they are making many on our addiction and consequent illnesses. And the youngsters, who are apparently so concerned about environment, keep lighting up, ignoring the facts. Isn’t that stupid as well?