In Berlin’s Washingtonplatz 66 giant Wolfmen have appeared in front of the city's main railway station. The 2-meter high sculptures carry weapons, snarl at the passers-by and raise their arms in a way reminiscent of Nazi salutes.
The artist behind the work, Rainer Opolka, is not commentating on the fact that Wolves have been returning to mainland Europe, but on the insidious spread of racism and violence across the country. Entitled The Wolves Are Back it is a startling sight for commuters and visitors to Berlin’s Hauptbahnhof. Opolka wants his sculptures to stimulate questions for the viewers “What happens when the forms of order and cohesion breakdown, and xenophobia is allowed to spread like a virus? What happens if morals and ethics become invalid and the country is increasingly dominated by fear, violence and brutality?” Above all the artist wants the work to be seen as a warning to us, about the dangers of non-action in the face of increasing violence.
Germany is still in the chilling aftermath following a series of brutal attacks in July, two of which have been linked to asylum seekers and to Isis. Right-wing groups have been exploiting these attacks which give further ammunition to the critics of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open-door refugee policy. An axe attack near Würzburg, the shooting in Munich, a bomb in Ansbach and a machete attack in Reutlingen. Since the migrant crisis violence against minorities has escalated to an alarming degree, the Federal Criminal Police Office or Bundeskriminalamt has now registered over a 1000 crimes against asylum accommodation throughout Deutschland.
More than 10000 visitors were there for the unveiling of the work which will be on view between the 6th of August through to the 16th of that month. It is expected that upwards of 1 million people will visit the bronze and iron work once it has completed its tour. So far the pack of wolves have been exhibited in Dresden, a stronghold of Pegida, and in Potsdam on the outskirts of Berlin. There are eight different wolf designs in total, one symbolic of the National Socialist Underground that holds a raised gun, and another design represents the so-called “blind follower”, who are literally blindfolded.
The artist behind the project, Rainer Opolka, was a highly successful inventor who alongside his twin brother made a fortune from developing power saving technologies such as the first commercially available LED torch. Four years ago they sold three quarters of the shares in their company to devote themselves exclusively to making art. The brothers have also set up a sculpture and cultural center in Schloss Hubertushöhe in Storkow, and have already invested €25 million into the project.
Opolka has set up a website to accompany the touring exhibition and this week on its social media site it published a post about the perpetrator of the Munich shootings. Ali David was Iranian-German but German born. He hated Arabs and Turks and “was proud to share Hitler’s birthday.” The post goes on to state “Hatred and violence, regardless of which side they come, are never easy to outlaw and punish.” The artist remarked “Racism has now become standard. I don’t want people to get used to that” and for those passing through Berlin’s main train station, there is a grim reminder of what follows inaction.
