"Menschenkinder"
Panel Project Anne Thoss. "Human children”.
The artist Anne Thoss from Kleef has realised the art project “Siehst du” based on her emotions evoked by the past. This project depicts a chest full of “grey” memories. You can open this chest and take in the memories. But you can also close the chest again and by doing so, you have to close yourself off from all those negative images. If you’re not able to do that, they may destroy you. But you should never forget. This project was the foundation for the sculpture group "Human Children". It is very important to Anne that both past and present are captured in words and images.
These sculptures represent all persecuted, expelled, evacuated and unprotected people. From the past, the present and the future. Regardless of nationality, religion or skin colour. They portray a suffering civilian population who are helplessly and randomly subjected violence.
All of them had to and have to leave what was and is dear and familiar to them, usually without any possessions to start with.
These sculptures, in their anonymity, equivalent in colour and shape, should make it clear that it can happen to all of us and will inevitably happen again.
They call for thoughtful engagement.
Miniature sculptures are made in ceramic by Anne Thoss. Then in large, using wood, by Jörg Florenz.
The arrangement depicts being expelled from your living environment due to war violence. Here, the basic idea involves the evacuation from this region, on both the German and Dutch sides at the end of 1944.
However, we don't have to go back in time to see these images in reality again. Almost every day we see these groups of people passing by in images on the news.
Where our parents asked for compassion for the suffering they’ve experienced, the eyes of the people you see in all those current images are asking the same question.
