Czechoslovakian artist Victor Freso fashioned the installation shown here, entitled The Birth of Niemand. The installation is a field of 16 monumental figures with large heads and scowling faces perched upon baby-like bodies. All the figures are the same except one with his hands behind his back and head disdainfully turned away. The spaces between the figures allows visitors to weave through the formation and examine each figure up close. The work is intended to be a critique of society and culture by exploring the “darker side of our soul.” The artist intended for the work to represent all the negative emotions that people try to keep hidden — feelings of malice, inferiority and overconfidence — that spill out and impact environments we all live in. The disturbing nature of the installation is tempered by its seeming playfulness.
This disarming quality creates a powerful moment and space for reflection. Niemand translated literally means nobody or no one. The Birth of (Nobody) reflects the negative disposition of society and our need for individual significance while we simultaneously strive to conform to cultural norms. It exposes our thoughts, interactions and relationships with one another. Most importantly it reminds us that we can’t become the somebody we want to become by disdaining others. You never find meaning by conforming to others’ expectations, nor can you distinguish yourself through what or whom you reject. Individuals who dwell on the negative and attempt to tear others down to get ahead are destined to remain infants. The question is this: Are we a society of infants? To become somebody and make a society of somebodies, we ultimately need to determine what we are willing to live for.