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"Eisbergfreistadt":
Kahn/Selesnick's newest project, "Eisbergfreistadt"
documents "the creation of this principality which is inspired by an
actual incident in 1923 when a mammoth iceberg ran aground in the Baltic
port of Lubeck, towering over the town and terrifying the populace.
Many decided (not unreasonably) that the iceberg caps were melting and the
apocalypse coming. This event inspired gloomy cafe songs and penny
dreadfuls, even a deck of playing cards.
Many
notegeld and inflationary currencies were issued for the Eisbergfreistadt.
Manifestos were published, and posters put up declaring the state's new
ideals, citizenship requirements, etc. Products started appearing:
butter, lard, chocolate (of surprisingly high quality) etc, all stamped
with the Eisbergfreistadt logo. Although the creation of the
Eisbergfreistadt is an actual historical incident, it is not clear to what
extent it actually existed.
The
celecstial city depicted on the iceberg seems to owe as much to the spires
of Freidrich, as to the halls of ValHalla - it is a place built by Rilkean
angels, too perfect for human reality, that can only be intuited by the
artist. The worldly goods of the Stadt are therefore in the
context of a
cruel joke ("you take art and I'll take spam"). Interestingly these
apocalyptic fears proved prophetic - Lubeck was the first German city to
be fire-bombed in World War II - and, despite being rebuilt, is in danger
of flooding due to global warming.
- Kahn/Selesnick
Nicholas
Kahn and Richard Selesnick, born in New York City and London, respectively,
have been collaborating since 1986. They have exhibited
internationally, and their work is included in many notable collections
including the Smithsonian Institution; Addison Gallery of American Art;
Brooklyn Museum; Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University; Los Angeles County
Museum of Art Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and Philadelphia Museum of
Art, as well as many private and corporate collections.
Read Boston Globe Review of "Eisbergfreistadt"
Sunday, May 13, 2007...
View additional series
of works by Kahn/Selesnick...
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