A plaster donkey sculpture on the Rheinischer Esel trail in Witten has been completely destroyed after repeated vandalism attacks. The artists behind the work refuse to be discouraged and have honored the fallen statue with a ceremonial burial while creating a new piece of art from its remains.
The sculpture, which suffered what could be described as a broken neck and legs, no longer stands on the Rheinischer Esel cycling and hiking trail. After unknown perpetrators damaged it multiple times, a final attack brought the donkey down for good. However, the artists behind the project are not giving up and have transformed the destruction into an opportunity for new creative expression.
"Actually, I don't agree with the term burial. After all, it continues," says Vivien Knoth, who together with Birgit Wewers forms the board of KreativQuartier Annen. They commissioned artist Heike Fischer to create three donkey sculptures - two complete donkeys (one at Annen Süd station and the now-destroyed one on Schleiermacherstraße) and one donkey torso - that decorated the cycling and walking path.
The sculptures didn't remain intact for long, but Knoth still manages to find something positive in the destructive behavior. "We've been making art in public spaces for over ten years. The damage is nothing new," she states. She views the recurring attacks and the artists' responses as a dialogue - a conversation with the vandals, even though the communication is one-sided. "They destroy an artwork and we make a new one from it," she explains.
Some of the new works contain a healthy dose of gallows humor. After unknown perpetrators beheaded the donkey, the headless sculpture was promptly declared art. The friendly-looking gray animal was transformed with some plaster and red paint into a memorial. Instead of giving the animal a new head, artist Heike Fischer sealed the neck and let blood - the aforementioned paint - drip down from it. A sign placed directly next to it read: "Attention: Don't lose your head." Today, the sign still stands, but the donkey lies fallen.
Heike Fischer is certain that someone knocked it over with brute force. She appeared at the funeral ceremony dressed in black from head to toe, bringing flowers and speaking in a quiet voice. The previous Friday, she and the artists from KreativQuartier Annen encased the donkey in concrete. Now its remains protrude from the ground, resembling a fossil from a bygone era.
"One could have fenced it in. But I'm not putting my donkey in a cage. It should be accessible for people who have fun and joy with it," says Heike Fischer. For exactly these people, the headless memorial has now become "Mal Ma(h)l" (a German wordplay meaning both "paint" and "memorial"). This means creative residents of Witten are invited to paint the white remains of the plaster donkey in bright colors.
Even though the statue no longer stands, the dialogue with the vandals on the Rheinischer Esel continues. Vivien Knoth states: "We would like to get to know the perpetrators." The artists remain committed to their mission of bringing art to public spaces, turning acts of destruction into new opportunities for creative expression and community engagement.
