
Warum lachst du nicht?: 14 Geschichten über häusliche Gewalt
- Publisher
- Kehrer Verlag
- Year
- 2024
- ISBN
- 978-3-96900-182-0
- Specifications
- Hardcover
20.5 x 27 cm
256 pages
84 color illustrations
Text in German
Text by Michaela Egger, Robert Fleischanderl, Stefanie Jaksch, Lisa Kärcher, Susanne Kaiser, Gina Melgarejo Weinandt, Jasmin Moser, Nina Schedlmayer
Design by Dieter Auracher
Austrian photographer Robert Fleischanderl has engaged with a sensitive and difficult topic in his photo book Warum lachst Du nicht? 14 Geschichten über häusliche Gewalt . Initiated by the Violence Protection Center Lower Austria for violence prevention, victim support, and victim protection, and in cooperation with the Federal Association of Austrian Violence Protection Centers, Fleischanderl´s photo art project emerged after more than two years of work. Eighty-one photo-text pairs document various aspects of domestic violence against women and children. The apartments where the violent crimes occurred are the focus of the photographs. These are often crime scenes, but as such with one exception no longer recognizable, as all traces of the crimes have been removed. Thus, the photos appear almost unremarkable and ordinary at first glance. However, through the texts that accompany each photo, in which Fleischanderl gives a voice to the affected individuals, the images become charged, making the dynamics of violent relationships painfully visible. In addition to quotes from the victims from court records, medical findings and police reports are also shown, always maintaining the anonymity of those affected. The stories of violence are supplemented with quotes from interviews with counselors from the Violence Protection Center and a glossary of terms related to structural violence. This photo art project aims to honor the stories of all those affected, making their voices heard and visible. It seeks to raise awareness of the socially highly sensitive issue of domestic violence and to enable a low-threshold and nuanced engagement through an artistic approach. Kehrer Verlag will donate a portion of its proceeds from the sale of the book to a women's shelter in Germany.
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