Growing old is a 21st century privilege. Life expectancy is on the rise, followed by good old age. But what is it that we expect from life? First of all: not to be lonely, to live in familiar surroundings, to be healthy, to be socially included.
This is also true for persons with disabilities. Countless of them were victims of Nazi euthanasia before 1945. The generation born after 1945 is now old. It is time to reconsider the quality of life in old age.
Christopher Mavrič portrayed senior citizens with disabilities in welfare institutions in Styria. Writer Stefan Schlögl gives us an insight into their stories. The exhibition presents an overview of the portraits in text and photography. A book by Stefan Schlögl and Christopher Mavrič has also been published, under the title Weil es mich gibt (Because I’m Here), an edition of Bibliothek der Provinz.
The exhibition came about in association with Akademie Graz, Graz Museum, Lebenshilfe Graz and Umgebung – Voitsberg.
Photographs: Christopher Mavrič
Texts: Stefan Schlögl
Curator: Astrid Kury, Akademie Graz
Exhibition design: Nina Bammer
Technical implementation: Edin Prnjavorac and Herbert Fortin, GrazMuseum
Project manager: Sibylle Dienesch, GrazMuseum
Under the patronage of the Austrian Cultural Forum.