Martin Kippenberger

At the time of his death in 1997, Martin Kippenberger was the leading German artist of his generation. The Happy End of Kafka's Amerika, is Kippenberger's last work. Taking he form of and is a profound meditation on life and social relations. as a game. Unlike a previous generation of artists who, under influence of Joseph Bueys, viewed the artist as a shamanistic savior of sorts, Kippenberger's generation viewed the artist as a symptom of the cyclic regression from capitalism to fascism and back again. With respect to the role of the artist as the guardian of utopian or transcendental longings, Kippenberger was neither a pessimist nor an optimist but an existentialist in the truest sense. For him, individuals are free agents in a deterministic and seemingly meaningless universe. The fact that there are winners and losers in the game of life was not nearly as important as the game itself. The Happy End portrays human relationships, social interactions and power dynamics through various styles and configurations of tables, chairs and bleachers arranged on an Astroturf soccer field. Kippenberger's exhibition will be accompanied by two lectures and two concerts. The lecturers will be critics Diedrich Diederichsen and David Robbins both of whom will discuss Kippenberger's work, Robbins as it relates to Dadaist humor and Diedrichsen as it relates to the immediate social, political and cultural context of the 1980s. The concert will feature Theodor Ross and Wilhelm Bruck, two of the world's leading contemporary classical guitarists specializing in music theater. Their performance will take place within Kippenbereger's installation where they will debut a work The Society has commissioned by Chicago composer and bass clarinetist Gene Coleman. Pressetext

Martin Kippenberger
Hotel Drawings and The Happy End of Franz Kafka's America
Kuratoren: Stephanie Smith, Suzanne Ghez

Stationen:
10.09.00 - 29.10.00 Renaissance Society, Chicago
10.09.00 - 05.11.00 Smart Museum, Chicago