TIRANA, Oct. 25 – Deborah Sengl brings her own interpretation of the work ‘the Last Days of Mankind’ by writer Kraus, at an exhibition hosted by the National Arts Gallery. Kraus himself wrote that ‘mice are good for metaphors’ and based on this quote Sengl’s creativity expands, recreating Kraus’ book, in which mice personify people – they see, judge, decide and reflect humans in all other areas.
In cooperation with the Austrian Embassy in Tirana, the artist herself and curator Gà¼nther Oberhollenzer were also present at the exhibition inauguration.
“2014 marked one century since the break out of WWI. No other literary works transmit the atmosphere of the time and war’s misery and absurdity in a more concise and precise way than ‘the Last Days of Mankind’ (1915-1922) by Karl Krauss,” Oberhollenzer has described, “Sengl, in her most major work so far, reacts to Krauss’ text in a unique, unmistakable, manner, and interprets scenic parts and various dialogs. Accompanied by paintings and drawings, Krauss’ protagonists appear to be more alive. Seng has worked for a year for this demanding project. The stage version of ‘the Last Days of Mankind’ served as a model to her.”
Sengl, who was born in Vienna, is a scriptwriter and costume designer, on top of her artistic work with exhibitions. Before the exhibition in Tirana, she talked about what pushed her to recreate Krauss’ work through her own creativity.
“What really impressed me,” Sengl said, “and made me take on this work and make it my own project, was its relevance.”
The Minister of Austria in Tirana, on the other hand, said that the Sengl’s exhibition is the crowning of a creative activity that began with Karl Krauss’ exhibition, “one of the sharpest, best and most powerful artists in Austria, who is unfortunately not as well-known in Albania.”
The suggestiveness and strong visuals transmitted from the way the mice are created to stand, dress, cradle each other is guaranteed to reflect the controversy in Krauss’ text, but also the controversial reality around which the world turns.
