ROASTED PIGEONS or ART LEFT WORK

Last July, I was invited by Steffen Andrae, Hans Innenhof, and Günther Mailand to contribute a piece of criticism to the third edition of a series of concept shows organized by Mailand / Innenhof at Kontor 80, an experimental exhibition hall and event space in Leipzig, Germany. I was to be one of seven critics responding directly to an artwork on view. Each essay was then printed at large scale, mounted on boards, and placed in the exhibition space alongside the works they address, giving a physical presence to the spectre of criticism.

In the organizers’ words:

What is the relationship between art and critique? According to philosopher Robert Pippin, we are trappend in a historical dilemma since the historic failure of the global revolution in the early 20th century. Theory has not yet been able to fully comprehend this problem. Pippin claims that art might have the potential to bring the most fundamental social contradictions to the surface, and thus uncover new possibilities for theory. This also means that art needs a corresponding critique to unfold its very potential. But is this mutual relationship still up to date? Is current theory able to gain insight from works of art? And if so: is there contemporary art that enables such prospects? And what does such art look like?
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“ROASTED PIGEONS or ART LEFT WORK“ seeks to prompt discussion about these questions. Seven authors were invited to write on a series of selected artworks that can be considered revealing with regards to the historical situation of contemporary society. It pursues the fundamental questioning of the common sense prevailing in the current art world as well as in its predominant manifestations.

When they approached Caesura to republish the contributions, we agreed on the condition of adding our own meta-critique as an introduction to the series: Bret Schneider’s “Fellow Travelers — or — The Artist’s Artists.” Now, in celebration of May Day, we gift the whole lot to you, our faithful readers. May the ideas contained within edify your growth.

—Patrick Zapien

Artists: Annika Eriksson, Jonathas de Andrade, Minhye Chu, Artur Żmijewski, Elske Rosenfeld, Mailand / Innenhof

Critics: Allison Hewitt Ward, Patrick Zapien, Martin Dornis & Micha Böhme, Tobias Ertl, Steffen Andrae, Regine Prange