A winning poster
by
Veronica Novakova
Veronica Novakova, a designer from the Czech Republic, chose to deal with the theme of children in the Holocaust. Her work portrays a traditional childhood punishment, recognizable and relatable to many people from their own childhood. Traditionally, to correct a child’s errant behavior, an adult will force the “naughty” child to write his misdeed over and over again, until he “learns his lesson.”
In this case, the misdeed is written by a child who is forced to denounce his friendship with a Jewish friend. Under anti-Jewish legislation adopted in Germany and other countries, Jews were ostracized from all spheres of daily life. The everyday contact they once enjoyed with their friends and neighbors became forbidden, turning Jews into pariahs. These restrictive laws were created by adults to enforce their own anti-semitic ideology. Children, in their innocence, could neither understand the ideology nor the hatred behind these laws which were forced on them from the adult world; for children, these laws meant that a beloved playmate inexplicably became untouchable, forbidden, and lost to them. Worse still, trying to maintain that friendship resulted in punishment. Veronica addresses the effect this enforced hatred takes on an innocent child in her poster. She shows us a punishment list in which a child is forced to denounce his friendship again and again. Beyond the hurtful words, the true feelings of the heartbroken writer are revealed in a very touching way – the list is splattered and blurred by tears.
(Source: The International School for Holocaust Studies).
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten