Anus Mundi

Garter Lane Gallery, O’Connell St, Waterford Tues-Fri 11am-5.30pm, Sat 11am-3pm Until Nov 6 051-877153

Garter Lane Gallery, O’Connell St, Waterford Tues-Fri 11am-5.30pm, Sat 11am-3pm Until Nov 6 051-877153

The title of David Dunne’s exhibition comes from SS physician Johann Kremer’s term for Auschwitz, where he was based in 1942. anus mundi translates as anus of the world and, in the black-and-white film that is the centrepiece of his show, Dunne draws on Kremer’s diary.

Actor Gerard MacSorley (above) plays the doctor, who was at Auschwitz for only about three months and was implicated in the gassing – “special actions” – of thousands of people. Kramer put many people to death by lethal injection and recorded day-to-day events in the camp with eerie dispassion, alternating details of executions with lunch menus and weather reports. “By comparison,” he wrote early on, “Dante’s inferno seems almost a comedy.”

Dunne has long been fascinated by the mentalities involved in the Holocaust and genocide. This show, featuring his new film, 14 large-format medical slides, collages and sculpture, continues the artist’s sober, disturbing exploration.

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Aidan Dunne

Aidan Dunne

Aidan Dunne is a visual arts critic and contributor to The Irish Times