By Mercedes Helnwein and Geoff Nishimoto
01. August 2005
The story of Mercedes began in a hospital in Vienna, Austria, somewhere at the end of 1979. Thanks to her parents, life never threatened to become very normal. Her father, Gottfried Helnwein, had long before her birth already established his name in the fine art scene, and not without controversy.
At her inception, Mercedes’ favorite color was pink, her favorite food spaghetti and her favorite animal was the rhino from the Viennese zoo with the severe mood swings. She loved to watch it charge at the visitors. Her best friend at the time was Rudy, a one-legged art student with long black hair and beard, who was living in the children’s room and doubled as nanny occasionally. Rudy and Mercedes would have long conversations about ballet and take walks through the park. Many a morning he would wake up to find his leg somewhere at the other end of the apartment. He resembled Jesus physically and had a fondness for strong language. He had been an Olympic high jumper for Austria, but after a bad accident and a less than perfect job at the hospital, he lost his leg and became an artist...