"Poisoned" - an exhibit of Nazi Garden Gnomes

In protest of "lingering fascist tenancies" in German and European society and to draw attention to the dangers of the far right,  German artist Ottmar Hoerl has created an exhibit consisting of 1,250 identical gnomes  all frozen in a Hitler salute. The exhibit has been shown in several European countries, and now is for the first time on public display in the Bavarian town of Straubing.

The exhibit has ignited controversy in Hoerl's native Germany,  as all symbols of/pertaining to the Third Reich, Hitler, and Nazism are illegal and have been so since the end of the second world war.


Quoth Hoerl's official site on his gnome exhibit "Poisoned" :

"...We should not turn our eyes away from the fascistic, dictatorial constant, the Fuhrer-principal: striving to oppress or control people is as dangerous now as it has ever been...."

"...The Poisoned Gnome reminds us that people can coalesce into large and dangerous groups if rituals and gestures are used that under certain conditions are more signs of contempt rather than being socially beneficial..."

"...We should cast doubts on the idea of trademarks and seductive symbols. We should think long and hard about their qualities and values. We must not let ourselves be manipulated..."