iJewish Museum Vienna (Jüdisches Museum Wien)Innere Stadt
A Muslim, a Christian, and a Jew - Eran Shakine
At Dorotheergasse: Israeli artist Eran Shakine's humorous large oil-pastel works follow three top-hatted men, one of each faith, exploring what the monotheistic religions share.
More in Vienna
The first work you see has three identical men in top hats riding Vienna's Riesenrad, each looking a different way. Shakine made it for this show, and like every picture here its title starts "A Muslim, a Christian, and a Jew...", a joke setup with no punchline about who is different.
You move through oil-pastel drawings, oil paintings, gouaches, textile prints and videos, some sketched on paper bags. The trio wait on a flooded roof to be rescued and look back at Earth from a space capsule. The artist told WINA that once you write that caption under three identical figures, everyone starts asking which one is which.
It turns serious without warning: one canvas puts the three at the gate of Auschwitz, another marks 6:32 am on 7 October 2023. The Vienna studio Vandasye built the room as a green meeting place, with a Wall of Tolerance you can add to. It's at Dorotheergasse, covered by the €15 museum ticket, free under 19, closed Saturdays.
Look for
The three on the Riesenrad
Look for the work made for Vienna: the trio riding the Giant Ferris Wheel, each gazing a different way while going round the same wheel.
Identical triplets
A faceless mother holds three faceless babies, laid out like a Time Magazine cover announcing the birth of a Muslim, a Christian and a Jew.
Waiting to be rescued
The three sit together on the roof of a flooded house, waiting for help.
The space capsule
The trio look back at Earth from orbit, trying to see things from a different perspective.
Looking for love 6:32 am
On black canvas the three dance among real glitter, confetti and party debris, timed to the start of the 7 October 2023 attack.
Good for
- Locals Who've Seen It All
- Out-Of-Town Guests
With kids
Under-19s get in free. Two works deal with Auschwitz and the 7 October 2023 massacre, which is worth knowing before bringing younger children.
Also at Jewish Museum Vienna (Jüdisches Museum Wien)
On now nearby
iThe Global Power of Love. A Journey Through the Centuries
State Hall of the Austrian National Library (Prunksaal)
iThe Special Exhibit: Erich Lessing: A Moment of Hope
State Hall of the Austrian National Library (Prunksaal)
iBridge of Humanity. Austria and the 1956 Hungarian Uprising
State Hall of the Austrian National Library (Prunksaal)
Nearby
Image credits
8
- A Muslim, a Christian, and a Jew - Eran ShakineCourtesy of Jewish Museum Vienna (Jüdisches Museum Wien)
- The Global Power of Love. A Journey Through the CenturiesÖsterreichische Nationalbibliothek
- The Special Exhibit: Erich Lessing: A Moment of HopeCourtesy of State Hall of the Austrian National Library (Prunksaal)
- Bridge of Humanity. Austria and the 1956 Hungarian UprisingÖsterreichische Nationalbibliothek
- Jewish Museum Vienna (Jüdisches Museum Wien)Sonja Bachmayer / Jewish Museum Vienna, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Theatermuseum (Palais Lobkowitz)Gryffindor / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5
- State Hall of the Austrian National Library (Prunksaal)Mirej / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 AT
- AlbertinaC.Stadler/Bwag, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0