2x Kippenberger (Museum Folkwang, 2021)

 STAFF PICK: ‘Heute denken morgen fertig (Thinking Today Tomorrow Done)’ from 2x Kippenberger at Museum Folkwarg, 2021.

Notebook
A6: 4.1 x 5.8 inches
Blank
Extremely rare

The blank notebook was made for the exhibition “2x Kippenberger” held between Museum Folkwang and Villa Hügel in Spring 2021 celebrating the work of late German artist Martin Kippinbeger. Villa Hügel presented his artist books and posters; meanwhile, Museum Folkwang realized “The Happy End of Franz Kafka’s ‘Amerika’”, originally shown in1994 at Rotterdam’s Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. The museum writes: “it is the story of a life, [Kippenberger’s] life, but also that of many lives, our lives – told through the example of Karl Roßmann.”

Inspired by Kafka’s literary vision of mass simultaneous job interviews at the ‘biggest theater in the world’, Kippenberger produces an installation using 50 table-and-chair ensembles on a 20 m × 23 m football field. Alongside design icons and found objects, the installation includes furniture especially produced by Kippenberger, as well as pieces by numerous artist friends, including Cosima von Bonin, Tony Oursler, Ulrich Strothjohann and Jason Rhodes: ‘whoever who wants to be an artist should sign up!”

The Renaissance Society and Smart Museum held a similar exhibition in September 2000 with Kippenberger’s “‘Hotel Drawings” at the Smart and “The Happy The Happy End of Franz Kafka’s ‘Amerika’”, which was exhibited the year prior at the 1999 Carnegie International, was installed at the Ren.