Manfred Deix

Austrian cartoonist Manfred Deix created wonderfully inappropriate caricatures of taboo subjects such as sexuality and politics, including numerous cartoons ridiculing the far-right figure Jörg Haider. His work is so central to what several sources have called the “Austrian soul” that the term Deixfigur (“Deix Figure”) was added to the Duden or German dictionary. Deix’s figures are physically sturdy and, in many cases, the antithesis of conventional beauty standards. They often appear in duos or groups, allowing characters to play off one another in outrageous situations, such as a reclining man holding a knife to the throat of the dental hygienist probing his mouth.

His work is so central to what several sources have called the “Austrian soul” that the term Deixfigur (“Deix Figure”) was added to the Duden or German dictionary.

Deix designed the façade for a concept formulated by André Heller and Walter Navratil. Absurd scenes play out on the exterior archway: a man’s fart sends a woman’s hair flying, the mouthpiece of a saxophone is inserted into a man’s anus, and a woman’s wind threatens to blow out candles on two men’s heads. Inside, a troupe of specialist performers farted music before a live audience. The attraction extends Deix’s inquiry into mixing the banal with the grotesque in order to make visitors laugh with glee and discomfort. Inside, a troupe of specialist performers farted into microphones accompanied by classical music before a live audience. The attraction extends Deix's inquiry into mixing the banal with the grotesque in order to make visitors laugh with glee and discomfort.