10.10.14

Kippenblinky, out on the street at night

Martin Kippenberger, Kippenblinky (from close by you see burnt matches in the lamp)
Martin Kippenberger, Ohne Titel (Double-Legged Lantarn)
Martin Kippenberger, Ohne Titel (Documenta Lanterna)

I saw these drunken lantern sculptures by Kippenblinky at the Herbert Foundation in Ghent, they are part of their current group exhibition 'Use Me'.

The guide told us the following story about Documenta Lanterna, Kippenberger's unsolicited contribution for the 1992 Documenta IX of Jan Hoet: Kippenberger was in the Documenta office with his students from Kassel and proposed them to interview Hoet about the Documenta without him realizing. Hoet talks freely and answers all their funny questions. Then Kippenberger decided to publish the 'interview'. Hoet took revenge on him by putting him on the official list of participants, although he wasn't included after all. Kippenberger playfully reacted with this teary melancholy Lanterna which he put on display in front of the Fridericianum. He photographed it and removed it. Afterwards he made a poster edition, titled 'Melancholy':