Again and again, he has painted children in brutal, violent settings. He has used Chris­tian iconography to depict Nazi officers, and juxtaposed rampaging soldiers with Images of childhood innocence. Visceral reactions come with the territory: one Installation in Cologne was physically attacked by neo Nazis. And yet, he says, he does not set out to shock. "Shock is a useless effect," he says. "Somebody in shock is completely useless. I want to make somebody think."
Instead, Helnwein's work speaks of a deep psychological need for meaning, even as it takes the form of violence and confrontation. Such an approach is rooted in the uneasy silences of growing up in post-war Austria and the shattered illusions of his early adult life, yet is still infused with an uneasy ideal­ism.
His art has brought him material rewards. Over the past 30 years, he has become an art superstar. His paintings and photographs command large prices. As he talks in his Co Tipperary castle, garbed in black clothes and dark glasses, Helnwein has the air of a vet­eran rock star and the lifestyle to match it. ...

I've long been a fan of Gottfried Helnwein's work but Waterford isn't the hotbed of anarchism Gerry seems to want us to think it is. I suppose it's a step up from the Lonely Planet's "seedy port town" moniker. It's a reimagining of an event with a Yeatsian pretence. ...If only we had courage equal to desire... I suspect art was less important than impressing friends with a bit of vandalism. ...

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WITH some of his "The Last Child" instal­lations reaching a massive 120ft, Austri­an born artist Gottfried Helnwein has been causing quite some controversy around Waterford City. ...

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“All a poet can do today is warn”, World War 1 soldier poet, Wilfred Owen, wrote in a draft Preface for a book of anti-war poems he would never see published. He was killed on the eve of Armistice Day 1918. World War One, The Great War, The War to End All Wars . . . within twenty summers, Europe was engulfed again in the even greater catastrophies of the fascist era. The work of Gottfried Helnwein has its genesis in these years. They obsess him as a creative artist. As a kind of guardian angel, he grapples with them on our behalf. That such a nightmare would never visit us again. Or our children. Or our children’s children. Or “. . .all those still to come”. ...

“For me, the reaction so far in Waterford is very good because people are talking about the theme of war and exploitation. For a child to grow up now, it’s the toughest time ever because children are flooded with violence in the media and internet and computer games where the only thing to do is kill people and they are very graphic. Entertainment is very violent but as long as it’s entertainment, it’s fine, but as soon as you do it as art, people get very sensitive. In my art I’m only reflecting the world and I wanted to raise awareness and make people think.” ...

Waterford Fringe Festival runs from 14 - 28 September in locations around Waterford city, and will feature large scale installations (some as large as 120ft x 80ft) of Helnwein’s work on buildings in the city. We caught a first glimpse of the display of wall art, at the launch in Gortroe Castle, Kilsheelan, near Carrick on Suir and were most impressed.
This will be controversial as the theme is children and war and how they are becoming victims of war. ...

"For Helnwein, the child is the symbol of innocence, but also of innocence betrayed. In today’s world, the malevolent forces of war, poverty, and sexual exploitation and the numbing, predatory influence of modern media assault the virtue of children. Robert Flynn Johnson, the curator in charge of the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, has assembled a thought-provoking selection of Helnwein’s works and provided an insightful essay on his art in this exhibition catalogue.
Helnwein’s work concerning the child includes paintings, drawings, and photographs, and it ranges from subtle inscrutability to scenes of stark brutality.
Of course, brutal scenes—witness The Massacre of the Innocents—have been important and regularly visited motifs in the history of art. What makes Helnwein’s art significant is its ability to make us reflect emotionally and intellectually on the very expressive subjects he chooses." ...

Waterford Fringe festival is on from 13th to 28th September and these pictures have been placed around the town and almost ambush you... They are compelling works of art that leave you thinking long after you have seen them. http://www.helnwein.com/ has produced some of the most disturbing and compelling work I have ever seen... ...

I just wanted to say i think the works displayed around the city are a very positive thing. I especially like the piece along the river on the old distillery building it would be excellent if it could stay there on a permanent basis if you ask me. The good thing is that they are creating a debate which is kind of the point after all. Anyway as an artist myself based in garter lane i hope its only the tip of the iceberg and future artistic ventures of this kind will become common place. looking forward to the opening in the Greyfriars until then.
sincerely yours
B.B. ...

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"His work was on display in the Municipal Gallery last Sept/Oct for a few weeks. Was pretty dark stuff.
The more of this kind of thing the better if you ask me. Looking forward to it.
Yup went to see it back then, it was really quite good. I'm not sure its stuff that suits being outside though , although they probably won't put up the more graphic pictures." ...

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Mercedes Helnwein's childhood reads a bit like an avant-garde take on a Jane Austen novel. At a young age, she flouted the company of her father's high-profile friends -- including personalities like Andy Warhol -- seeking refuge in literature instead. She spent many of her formative years in a Northanger Abbey of her own -- in a secluded Viennese castle. Last November, BlackBook demystified the artist-writer and found that apart from her exotic backstory, Helnwein was just a creative mind attempting to make sense of the world around her through what she does best. ...

You were married to Marilyn Manson at the Helnwein family mansion in Ireland. It was officiated by Alejandro Jodorowsky. Weirdest day ever? ...

In the Republican Last Chance Saloon is a Norman Rockwell-style McCain, talking tough about Czechoslovakia, Iraq and jobs with blue-collar workers. (How early 1990s of him.) They paint Obama as a 1950s-style Gottfried Helnwein figure. But instead of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and James Dean in the diner, Obama sits alongside Paris and Britney. McCain gives new meaning to "Audacity Watch" with his sexually provocative, racially charged, dumbed-down subliminal ad campaign. ...

Described as controversial, provocative and undoubtedly larger than life, the works of Austrian born, Waterford-based artist Gottfried Helnwein, is acclaimed world wide. ...

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