In 2010 Friedrich Kunath depicted a man watering a sapling, but with a noose tied from his neck to the young tree. The lesson behind the art is simple: growing slowly, the tree will ironically hang its benefactor. That’s all.
The viewing public, however, is free to explore the unlimited social applications of this Rorschach-like predicament. Good art is often simple and literal, but open-ended beyond what the artists themselves have in mind.
Of course, Kunath didn’t add the words “Europe” or “Islam” to his piece. These were added by an anonymous email forwarder who saw the perfect relevance. As the message summarizes, “The Euros will regret letting in millions of Muslims to leech off their generous welfare systems, and then still foment terrorism against the very same people who are their hosts.” It’s the world of the parasite.
Now the focus is on “depicting the current era of multiculturalism in Europe [and] their experience in the modern melting pot.” Once again, art teaches people to see truths that they wouldn’t likely figure out on their own.
It’s also win-win for the artist because his work is catapulted out of oblivion in some obscure gallery into international attention.
