"Boris Kobe's Tarot Cards from Allach Concentration Camp (probably 1945)."

catti

I also saw these for the first time today....when this link was posted on another forum.

So many questions about how the deck was made. Did you see the corners, they are beautifully cut. And the art is maybe pen and ink with colored pencils? The art is so well done, not to mention the content.
This example, among others, really reinforces my love of handmade art opposed to computer generated art. But this just shines because of the subject and situation under which it was created.

Maybe all of us could look for more info and someone can find the story of how this man managed to make this deck.
 

rogue

Doing a tarot deck or writing a book in prison makes perfect sense, but it's hard to believe somebody could get the materials to do this in a concentration camp. To think that somebody could get away with documenting the experience right under their noses, that brings up a lot of questions.
 

HearthCricket

The artwork is extremely haunting and very disturbing. Yet very accurate portrayal of life in a concentration camp. The images certainly get burned into your mind. I suppose a lot has to do with what his "job" was while in the CC to decide if he was able to get ahold of paper and art supplies to make such a deck and keep it hidden, unless some wacko Nazi actually commissioned these. I suppose when you are in a place like that, being caught and killed is a daily affair and worth taking the chance to portray something like this. I would like to know more about the actual making of it, how it was managed, etc. Often, to keep alive, prisoners made deals with the SS and were given some advantages other prisoners did not have. That could also be the case. How this was made, and when, the artwork is crisp and clear as the memories were, so I would guess if it were not made while he was in there, it was probably made right after liberation. It looks like it was drawn by the hand of a younger man, but if he were starving in a CC I am surprised to see it so well drawn and not shakey. Still, you muster up your courage-maybe making this deck kept him alive and fighting for his life when all else was lost. Maybe he was lucky enough to find a place to hide the deck when not working on it.

Upon further study it does say the originals are in Slovenian Archives. Maybe these are not the originals, but the newly scanned published version, thus the perfectly rounded card edges....
 

caridwen

I only glanced at the images, seeing the black and white stripes is enough to make me feel ill. Having visited Slovenia where these atrocities took place and been to the museum where I've seen footage and photographs of the camps...I don't know how to put into words how I feel...horror I suppose.

I find it surprising people query the deck having a sense of humour. What else is there amongst such horror and daily humiliation. Humour is one defence the human mind uses to create distance and keep sane in insane conditions.

I also wanted to add that some of the images seemed to poke fun at Jewish stereotypes...they are reminiscent of anti Semite posters at the begining of WW11. Are you sure they were made by a prisoner?

Yes they were and I have seen other originals by Kobe in Slovenia. Many prisoners drew their day to day life in the camps on any scrap of paper they got hold off. They also drew on walls, floors and made secret journals. When the Slovenian camp was found, the prisoners re enacted their day to day conditions for photographs for posterity. But hell wasn't over for them yet - communism came to town...and the survivors were sent back to communist Slovenia and shot.

Please excuse this conversation I'm having with myself:p It's my mind working:D
 

MrsOnePotato

caridwen said:
I also wanted to add that some of the images seemed to poke fun at Jewish stereotypes...they are reminiscent of anti Semite posters at the begining of WW11. Are you sure they were made by a prisoner?

The museum link says that Boris Kobe was a political prisoner. He was not necessarily Jewish.
 

catti

caridwen said:
Yes they were and I have seen other originals by Kobe in Slovenia. Many prisoners drew their day to day life in the camps on any scrap of paper they got hold off. They also drew on walls, floors and made secret journals. When the Slovenian camp was found, the prisoners re enacted their day to day conditions for photographs for posterity. But hell wasn't over for them yet - communism came to town...and the survivors were sent back to communist Slovenia and shot.

Do you remember where you saw the work by Kobe. Was it in a gallery? or something else. I understand he worked as an architecht and have been trying to find examples but I am not the best online searcher. I get easily distracted and start reading about something else!
 

caridwen

catti said:
Do you remember where you saw the work by Kobe. Was it in a gallery? or something else. I understand he worked as an architecht and have been trying to find examples but I am not the best online searcher. I get easily distracted and start reading about something else!

Yes the museum is in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia beside Tivoli Park. I think it was the National Museum of Slovenia - but I'm not sure. They had a whole exhibition of concentration camp photographs, pictures, drawings etc of the concentration camps. This is where I saw the pictures by Kobi amongst others. Examples of his architecture can be found at Ljubljana castle, if I remember correctly.:)
 

caridwen

MrsOnePotato said:
The museum link says that Boris Kobe was a political prisoner. He was not necessarily Jewish.

That's really really messed up!:(
 

rota

Those drawings work so very well as a group.

They're immensely sad, and well-rendered and conceptually complete, and at their core is a sense of humor. The horrific imagery combined with the humorous distance makes for a wonderful work.

They transcend their card-ness.

++++