WARSAW (Reuters) - Controversial German artist Gunther von Hagens, known for his displays of preserved human corpses stripped of skin, wants to build a factory in Poland to mass-produce his art, local officials said on Monday.
Von Hagens, whose exhibitions made out of human and animal remains have attracted millions of visitors around the world, has already bought land and industrial buildings in the western Polish town of Sieniawa Zarska, near the German border.
"His father told us what he plans to do here. Von Hagen plans to open a plastination factory of human bodies," said Andrzej Chwiedacz, senior municipal official in Sieniawa, population 1,150.
"Von Hagen's father is trying to convince us and our people why it is good for our town."
The "plastination" process is a craft of preserving human bodies by replacing the natural body fluids with solid plastic. The process both preserves tissues and gives rigidity, enabling the corpse and the organs to be displayed in exhibitions.
Chwiedacz said the pioneer of plastination, whose scalpel jobs have alternately fascinated and nauseated viewers, wanted to turn the site into a factory where corpses will undergo his special treatment, employing up to 300 people.
The artist, who once put on display the corpse of a pregnant woman, complete with a dissection of her womb, has faced probes over dealing with corpses in several countries where authorities have tried but failed to stop his displays.
The scandal around von Hagen's plans spiced up further when the Polish and German press said his 89-year-old father, Gerhard Liebchen, who represents his son's businesses in Poland, was suspected of carrying out crimes against Poles in World War Two.
"We will probe if Gerhard Liebchen cooperated in sending 60 Poles to concentration camps, which would give reasons to launch an investigation for participation in genocide," a state institute set up to examine wartime crimes said on Monday.
Liebchen's whereabouts were not immediately known, with Sieniawa officials saying that he had not shown up in the town since the controversy started and had left no contact number.
"I'm the Princess and your not...any questions???"
Who's killing them? Are they just people that have died? If so. . .did they volunteer to be put on display?
This is more about dignity and respect to the deceased than what's on display in my opinion - and if the deceased wished to be used for this purpose, then much like using deceased bodies for science - that is their choice. Although I think it's just weird.
People are more important than art. I agree with permission should be granted absolutely and without compromise. The pregnancy cross-section is just disgusting. Why wasn't the mother or baby saved? How did these people die?
In a way, it could be good for medical students, but for the public to be interested in such displays seems sicko somehow. The human body is a work of art and all, but there is a line between art and desecration. I find the people's interest more disgusting than the artist. He wouldn't have the options without the public's support.
This guy's been around for a long time. One of his most famous works is a preserved horse and rider--both skinned.
People sign contracts to grant him the use of their remains quite often, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's acquired some corpses from third world countries where it's fairly easy to get them.
You wanna see some real crazy corpse art, look at the work of Joel-Peter Witkin.
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