Lice-ridden German Artists Offend Israelis For The Sake Of Art

At this very moment, as we at Rutgers are still sleeping, recovering from last night, or posting to a class blog, countless people across the world are fighting for some cause they deem worthwhile. From Olympic protests to anti-war rallies to fights for human rights, people are taking a stand for a range of issues, such as stretching the boundaries of art with the help of lice.

Yes, lice.

Seven German artists are currently living in an Israeli museum near Tel Aviv with lice-infested heads. They plan to be there for the next three weeks on display. Why you ask? As Chief Curator Milana Gitzin-Adiram of the Museum of Bat Yam puts it, “Art is no longer just a painting on the wall. Art is life, life is art.” The article, seen here, comes from Reuters on April 27.

The article states, “The artists, who sleep, eat and bathe in the gallery, said the exhibition toyed with ideas about hosts and guests in line with a theme set by the museum and aimed to blur the boundaries between art and reality.” Or between sane and crazy perhaps?

As part of the gallery’s current theme of “hosting,” Gitzin-Adiram said she picked the lice idea from the many proposals she received for the exhibition. 23-year-old artist Vincent Grunwald, one of the seven people who are determined to make a statement in the name of art explained the lice-as-art idea is that “we live in the museum as their guests, and at the same time we are hosting lice on our heads.”

The exhibition is causing controversy, however. Reminiscent of a time when Jews were considered “parasites’ by Nazis, people are raising concerns over the German artists’ intentions. While they claim they had no idea it “would open up old wounds,” some people in the country are grateful for the larger issue that Jews in the country have taken it to mean, especially after the artists questioned whether the word parasite could be “reclaimed” in Israel. Lice-ridden Stefan Reuter, 27, said, "We we had one woman who came and thanked us for making such a great statement against the fascist rhetoric of German history."

I think the fact that people took offense to the exhibit is a bit ridiculous, but that those carrying out their mission are even more so. While this is essentially a human interest story covered by Reuters, it does bring up larger points, such as how far people will take their goals to make a statement. And, for the artists to be surprised by people’s offense to their exhibition is just plain dumb.

I’m no expert on art, but I do have an appreciation for it. With seven people who consider themselves artists currently scratching their heads on display in an Israeli museum as they continue to offend the nation’s people, there seems to be something wrong with this picture. Reuters however, throws these people into the spotlight, giving them the media attention which implies they are some sort of art crusaders. I just think they’re plain nuts.

Whatever the case, it’s an itchy situation.