Liberation parade

Dimension

65 x 50 cm

Date: 10/10/2023

Material used

acrylic

While walking near Germany, I came across an artists' village. I had planned to stop for lunch, but a singular parade captivated me. The villagers paraded, dressed as undertakers, with dark and menacing masks. They did not hide their disdain, shouting and laughing sarcastically. In the middle of the procession, an open coffin was carried, austere and without any decoration, as if to show the indignity of the deceased. Curious, I asked a passerby what was happening. She revealed to me with a hint of anger in her voice that a tyrannical man had once oppressed the village.

He had sowed terror, betrayed and mistreated those close to him. When he died, instead of shedding a tear, the villagers decided to create this parade, a manifestation of their disgust and an eternal reminder of his cruelties.

This story made me think: although we can gain respect through fear, our actions determine how we will be remembered after we are gone.