Back Issues of POV's
If you enjoyed reading this POV see below for more points of view from our Editor-in-Chief.
A Personal Story of the Nazi Holocaust
by Giancarlo Biagi
In the summer of 1944 in a small mountain town in Italy, Sant’Anna, a group of partisans (the resistance) ambushed and killed a few German soldiers who were patrolling the area. In turn the Nazis ordered everyone to evacuate the town. Convinced that the partisans would protect the inhabitants, they remained in their town. On August 12 the Germans returned, killing everyone in the village including women, children, and the elderly. They then piled up the bodies and burned them. After that, they made their way down from Sant’Anna, carrying their wounded soldiers, and encountered the grotto where my family, among others, was hiding. The Germans pointed a machine gun at the entrance and ordered, “Everyone out!” My Grandpa and other strong men were then forced to carry the stretchers bearing the wounded soldiers. My father, then only 15 years old, was traumatized. The people in the grotto were the first to be spared after the mass killing in Sant’Anna; however, 12 of the group who were taken from the grotto to carry the soldiers were gunned down a few hours later. My Grandpa and other relatives were spared and taken to the Dachau concentration camp. When the war ended, Grandpa came back, only flesh and bones, and was never the same again. No one ever knew what he had experienced—he never spoke of it. At times in the middle of the night he would become violent for no apparent reason. I can still recall those fiery eyes focused on his own memories of despair.
No one recovers from such atrocities, and in turn everyone is affected, even those not directly involved, like myself—having not yet been born. In one way or another we are all victims. It is a loss for humanity as a whole. In this issue we are describing a few approaches to commemorating such events in sculpture. Collectively we must remember and mark these moments…and each moment, each instant is a vital reflection of our “collective unconscious,” in my point of view.
Giancarlo Biagi
• Back to Current POV
Sculpture Review Magazine E - mail GP@SculptureReview.com
56 Ludlow Street, 5th Floor • New York, NY 10002 • Tel (212) - 529 - 1763 • Fax (212) - 260 - 1732
Click for enlargement
