What are tomatoes, potatoes, green peppers, tobacco and belladonnas doing in the fields of art? How beautiful or how poisonous are the members of this family?
The poison streaming from the art blossoms of these artists is indeed that of subversion - inspite of considerable beauty. However the displays of this exhibition are not under any pressure: neither from that of the "postmodern" nor the "posthuman" movemente but are instead able to parry adeptly the problems of legitimacy presented by the exhibition as a whole. They neither withdraw into social dimensionality nor do they remain merely as "shapes and positions".
It is no wonder that the theme "exhibition" and "museum" offers the show a special thread of continuity. For example by Louise Lawler with "Exhibitions" (1988), Thomas Schüttes "Model for a museum" (1982) or Reinhard Muchag "Flak" (1981). The Museum Fridericianum itself is not only the oldest museum building in continental Europe but through documenta has become the exhibition site for contemporary art today. But the exhibition "Nightshade Family" does not linger in methodological reflection. It tries to perforate the sphere of the "conditio sine qua non", yet gently, not fundamentalistically. One can experience the myth of the""Narcissus and Echo" by John Miller - a "Bildungs" theme in a totally new "brown" way. One can ask in the room with Rudolf Stingel why the rug is at the wall, and the heaters - inspite of there being floor heaters - are under the windows. Matthew McCaslins' video reportage appears like a report on the Frankfurter Street in Kassel at rush hour. and the photo legends by Larry Clark depict the true image of our youth today.
Admittedly, somehwere along the way, the exhibition does get moralistic. Heimo Zobernig makes a direct appeal to the city of Kassel - clearly visible on the fassade.
And finally, a few "guests" blow the same horn: the last icons either fade away when confronted with reality or they succeed in becoming subversive icons. In this context Paul Thek deserves being mentioned next to the "father figure" Dieter Roth as well.
The exhibition "Nightshade Family" does not claim to be complete. One can rightly assume that a few family members are missing. We would cordially like to invite you to a tour for the press on Saturday, May 15th, 7.00 p.m.. The majority of the artiste will be present. We can immediately accommodate your photography wishes. A catalogue with texts by Jan Avgikos, Diedrich Diedrichen and Veit Loers will appear in publication.
On May 16th, concomitant with the opening of the exhibition "The Nightshade Family", a new museum will be opened to the public: a "Museum aut Zeit" (Temporary Museum).
Eight artists' rooms will be permanently available for exhibitions until the next documenta. While the ideas of Martin Kippenberger, Günther Förg, Franz West, Meuser und Cady Noland will already be on display, works by Imi Knoebel and Jeff Koons are still in progress and will appear a few month later. The idea behind the project is t o display international, though primarily German artists of the 80's outside of the commercial sphere for a longer time. A few of the named artists will constantly change their works or add those of others. Franz West for example will transfer e part of his Viennese studio to Kassel. His famous sofas and a video provide cosiness and offer a t the same time space for reflection. Cady Noland's large work "Deep Social Space", which she showed for the first time at the Biennale in Venice (1990) will be on view.
Imi Knoebel, the so-to-speak father figure in this series, is conceiving a work in connection with Joseph Beuys' "Room for direct democracy" (documenta 6), which lasted 100 days at exactly this apot 20 years ago. Jeff Koons is planning a large aculpture in the rotunde, Martin Kippenberger who treated the Museum Fridericianum and Walter de Maria's "earthkilometer" from a melancholy point of view can be expected to offer several surprises. The "Museum auf Zeit" has been consciously put in relationship to the oldest museum building on the european continent and the idea of documenta which has taken place here since 1955. The very idea of a museum and that of art exhibiting per se are taken up and thematisized here. Hence, the "Museum auf Zeit" offers not only new show rooms but new places for discussion. it is out intention to invite those artists named above to conversations and discussions open to the public.
Nonetheless, the "Museum auf Zeit" promises to be an innovation of its own.