The mural ‘#5vor12’ was painted for the Winter Tollwood festival, which had the motto ‘All of Us’. The idea was to paint a new version of the three monkeys: do not see, do not hear, do not speak (about) evil. It was meant to highlight people’s reactions towards current pressing issues such as global warming, the refugee crisis and a possible nuclear war.
The three main characters look bored and are occupied with social media. Too often have they seen the news about today’s problems. They think they can switch the off and ignore the world but the tide is rising – metaphorical speaking for all the problems coming our way but also literally because of floods caused by climate change.
On the one hand the picture can be interpreted cynically emphasized by the hashtag 5vor12 (a German expression signifying that it is ample time to act) which has been used way too often. On the other hand the picture also has an optimistic tone through the words of Hermann Hesse “…this boundless world lives of our breath”. It is taken from the poem ‘Die Welt unser Traum’ (the world our dream) and appeals to start changing the world. We are the writers of our world and it is created through us, therefore we are able to change it. The promise that the dream of a better world can be realized through our actions.
A making of video can be found here.
~ Munich – Germany ~
