About
This installation examines Austria’s narratives of innocence, neutrality, and moral purity, interrogating the tension between denial and accountability in the nation’s history. The title evokes a futile attempt to wash away the stains of the past—an act both symbolic and performative.
Three bowls of red-tinted water form the centerpiece, representing bloodshed and suffering of black bodies tied to Austria’s overlooked complicity in global slavery, eugenics, exploitation masked as commerce and naked racial discrimination. Above, a looping video projection shows blood-stained hands repeatedly washed in an endless ritual that fails to cleanse. This act mirrors Austria’s historical narrative; a nation striving to preserve its self-image while ignoring the realities of its past. Water taps run upwards, defying gravity, symbolising the impossibility of cleansing historic involvement and complicity.
Blood stains are visible around these soaps, underscoring the futility of denial, creating a visceral representation of Austria’s struggle with its historical narrative. This juxtaposition of official denials with historical evidence creates a powerful narrative dissonance.
By confronting these uncomfortable truths, “(un)clean hands” invites viewers to reflect (mirror provided) on the cost of unacknowledged histories and the urgent need for reckoning.
This video, playing on a loop, is projected above the 3 bows.
“Austria never engaged in the transatlantic slave trade. Our hands has no racism”
“We never had any colonies in Africa”
"We never had any colonies in Africa"
“Austria never engaged in the transatlantic slave trade. Our hands has no racism”
“We never had any colonies in Africa”
“We never had any colonies in Africa”
“We never had any colonies in Africa”
Debunking the myth
Behind this link are historic facts that directly debunk, challenge and contradict Austria's myth of innocence. This research is part of the instillation - displayed on a large mirror next to the table with the 3 bowls.
It outlines the following:
1. Austria's involvement in eugenics and racial purity
2. Austria's involvement in Pan-European Colonialism in Africa
3. Austria's participation at the infamous Berlin Conference
4. Austria's participation in the enslavement of black bodies
5. Human Zoos in Austria
6. Racism in Austria today, hidden in plain sight
