Malicious high polish

Josephine Meckseper in Kunstmuseum Stuttgart

Concept art theorizes the term, offers quite a little sense impressions and examines within the art its principles of construction - the technical construction of objects, social constructions, more symbolically, more conceptually… - nevertheless as concrete?

As initial object of concept art is generally regarded the famous work “Fountain” (1917) of Marcel Duchamp alias Richard Mutt. But what was it really? An Urinoir. Such an object has one only a small “retinal” (on the Retina of the eye working) value to gain, is rather expected to function reliably. As displaced object it can provide for attention or kindle deep discussions.

The works, that developed since the beginning of the 20. century in concept art, in particular since the late sixties and seventies, reach accordingly from almost invisible art - like for example those purely pragmatically, at the social intervention oriented actions of the very successful group of artists of WochenKlausur - up to dekonstructive things, which disorient everyday, “retinale”, i.e. on the eye and the perception generally aiming objects, in order to infiltrate so their effect. This form of concept art is quasi necessarily in respect of the senses defiant, since othzerwise it could not at all grap their object. Silver, glass, mirror, art skins and artificially garnished models, artificial gestures, and pretty jewel, symbols of the classification and affiliation forms the suggestive net, which Josephine Meckseper takes up in her installations, sculptures, shop windows, paintings, photographies and films.

A famous example is “CDU-CSU” from 2001.

The C-print points itself two dry models in black and blue on white, strangely streching themselves on German middle class furniture by Ikea, equipped with fake fur from the supermarket, before a fire-place room background and in suddenly rigid motion. In the back right in the mirror, thus in front right beside the viewer stands a cunningly produced official. Black clothes and white frill bag show a waitress clearly, with high-heeled aggressiveness set up, perhaps a costumed doll, type „French chambermaid “. In the foreground the models show their gold-coloured election campaign necklaces with CDU and CSU logos. The CSU model combines blue, white and brown in her clothing, while the soft sister, rather sportily, far less high-heeled, shows herself in black, belly-free (with tender red strips) and far open catsuit on the brown fake fur….

Thus do the objects come into talking and into the gossip, are all three prostitutes? A high compilation of rights and approving? Similarly as in the mirror, an eye deception like the gold-framed picture in the CDU/CSU C-print, which contains no picture but mirror glass. The view through the glass-walls in the background - which could be also the reflected walls of the foreground -, shows a pavilion of glass, like one that where the residence of Munich road-hits a Stachus corner - Pacellistrasse knows, thus, where resident of Munich that the resident informed district court. The pavilion accommodates normally attractive automobiles, prestige objects of the judges and lawyers, who delect themselves in the neighbouring cafés and usually exercise faithfully before it or afterwards their party-book-office. With the pavilion in the proximity of the court associates Meckseper the two prestige figures, at whose affiliation to the Bavarian regional culture she likewise leaves no doubt. The apparently subordinated waitress in the image fore- or background gets thereby a new, dominant role, functions by her line of sight to the left to the pavilion as Maître d'Hotel, who presents the two to the court - in particular the white-blond-blue model “CSU” - a Bavarian body food.

In Kunstmuseum Stuttgart the artist's works are to be seen from 14th July to 28th October 2007 on four floors. In one area the artist furnishes a fashion shop station: Shop windows on the right and left frame of the entrance area, behind it follows a so-called “shelf” from Meckseper. On silver referred shelf soils stand most different objects.

In the highest floor of the art museum the artist has built a large wall with two of her most prominent showcases, whereby “The Complete History of Postcontemporary Kind”, which mixes symbols of the French protest movement with fashion and advertisement.

The occupation with the shop window as perception-steering construction is converted also in a space installation in the basement. There a nine meter broad room, usually secured by a glass shot each evening, inspired the artist to an enormous shop window with mirrow wall and sculptures.

The CDU-CSU C-print shows that the fast perceptibility of the installations, which Meckseper demonstrates is deceptive. In what respect the installations do not only use representational forms, but shows these critically, does not give itself to recognize on a view, but is perhaps every now and then, as frequently in concept art, not to deduce from the visible work itself.

Nevertheless at least provisional confusion might outweigh the impression of the obliging high polished one.

Report: Dr. Ulrike Ritter

Photo: Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, VG bildkunst

Exhibition information on a view

Josephine Meckseper

Kunstmuseum Stuttgart

Kleiner Schlossplatz 1

70173 Stuttgart

Contact

Telephone: +49 (0) 711 - 216 21 88

Fax: +49 (0) 711 - 216 78 20

info@kunstmuseum-stuttgart.de

Opening times

Mo, Tue, Thu: 10 - 18

Mi and Fr: 10 - 21

SA and So: Closed

Admission fees for special exhibition: regularly 8, reduced 6.50 euro.

To the exhibition “Josephine Meckseper” appears a catalogue in the Hatje Cantz publishing house. Hrsg. Marion Ackermann, texts by Okwui Enwezor, Christian Höller, interview with the artist by Simone Schimpf, German/English.