Mark Gisbourne in Zagreb

May 25, 2009

HDLU, Trg žrtava fašizma bb, Zagreb

in cooperation with British Council in Croatia

Lecture by Mark Gisbourne

May 27th, 2009 at 7 pm

/ lecture is on english with slide-projection /

ROHKUNSTBAU XVI – 2009 –ATLANTIS

(HIDDEN HISTORIES – NEW IDENTITIES)

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the King’s horses, And all the King’s men

Couldn’t put Humpty together again!

Following the series of exhibitions Drei Farben, Blau, Weiss und Rot (Rohkunstbau XIII, XIV, XV, 2006-08), the project of Rohkunstbau XVI and XVII will be devoted to the general thematic of Atlantis. Rohkunstbau XVI is devoted to ‘demos-egalitarian’, and Rohkunstbau XVII to ‘aristos-elitarian’. By reference to the mythical civilisation and/or island first mentioned in Plato’s Socratean dialogue the Timaeus and Critias we hope to emphasise, twenty years after the Berlin Wall came down, issues of hidden histories and in consequence the new identities that are being formed in the wake of a reunified Europe. To what extent is either Germany or Central Europe reunified into a true European identity? Has the rupture of Europe been resolved? If so what are its hidden histories that are thought to be re-emerging? Can the ‘top down’ imposition of a purported solution (particularly in Germany) be said to have succeeded? If the former East German people chose through a newly elected Parliament to re-unify, to what extent has the wished for re-union come into being as they might have desired it? In what sense (if any) has a Central European identity been recast? The artists participating in this exhibition are asked to reflect upon the Atlantis issue from a personal perspective and elaborate a viewpoint. The emphasis is placed on a ‘personal meaning’ and new identity they might conceive as stemming from it.

The existence or non-existence of Atlantis (Plato’s fictional metaphor) has fascinated generations of writers and artist. The imagined place, its character and identity has been embedded in the artistic and literary mind for centuries. What is and why is there a fascination with the Atlantis myth? Intriguingly it derives from the Classical Age, then completely disappears returning in the humanistic Renaissance, most notable in Francis Bacon’s essay The New Atlantis (1627) where he speaks of a utopian society called Bensalem. Isaac Newton, the founder of modern physics, also expressed a fascination with notions of a lost kingdom, in The Chronology of the Ancient Kingdoms Amended (1728). See also Ignatius L. Donnelly Atlantis: The Antediluvian World (1882). Late nineteenth century mysticism was particularly interested in lost continents (Mu or Atlantis) and the Atlantis story, see Helena Blavatsky (1831-91), Founder of the Theosophical Society, and her The Secret Doctrine: The Synthesis of Science, Religion, and Philosophy (1888), and Rudolf Steiner, Founder of Anthroposophy, wrote also about Atlantis (the fourth ‘root race’ that led to the ‘aryan’ race), and has continued to fascinate in writer countless literary forms throughout the twentieth century. The point being that the idea of Atlantis served as a basis for all sorts of imagined identities and mental spaces. The lost and re-found, the dissolution and re-forming, all serve as potential ideas that might be re-elaborated. The emphasis on ‘demos’ whence the idea of the term democracy derives is relevant, and it was also the case that the original narrative on Atlantis (by Plato) is specifically set in a comparative situation to ancient Athens (the two parties of which were ‘demos’ ‘egalitarian’ – dimokratie ‘popular government’ government by the many – and ‘aristos’ ‘elitarian’ representing government by the selected few – aristokratia, meaning ‘the rule of the best’)

The location for this year’s exhibition is Schloss Marquardt, near Potsdam (www.schloss-marquardt.com). It is a period Schloss (Castle) with an interesting Brandenburg history that includes the historical figures of Hans Rudolph von Bischoffwerder, General and Minister for Friedrich Wilhelm II, and his son Wilhelm Hans Rudolph Ferdinand Bischoffswerder (1803 - 1858), the latter particularly playing a role in the revival and practices of the Rosecrucian Order (Rosenkreuzer Ordens).

“The term Rosicrucian (symbol: the Rose Cross describes a secret mystics, allegedly formed in late mediaeval Germany holding a doctrine “built on esoteric truths of the ancient past”, which, “concealed from the average man, provide insight into nature, the physical universe and the spiritual realm.”

The great Brandenburg realist writer Theodor Fontane (1819-1898) also makes frequent mention of Schloss Marquardt through his writings that were immensely popular in the late nineteenth century. A more detailed history of Schloss, its twentieth century history as a Kempinski hotel in the 20s and 30s and its material alterations and adaptions can be obtained from Sabine Ziegenrucker at the Rohkubstbau office in Lehrter Strasse.

Kommunikationsbüro Berlin:
Lehrter Straße 38
10557 Berlin
Tel: +49 30 48 62 08 00
Fax: +49 30 48 49 05 75
e-mail: wolfram.goetzinger@rohkunstbau.de sabine.ziegenrucker@rohkunstbau.de
See website www.rohkunstbau.de

Extracts from Plato’s Timaeus and Critias that firsts refer to Atlantis

For these histories tell of a mighty power which unprovoked made an expedition against the whole of Europe and Asia, and to which your city put an end. This power came forth out of the Atlantic Ocean, for in those days the Atlantic was navigable; and there was an island situated in front of the straits which are by you called the Pillars of Heracles; the island was larger than Libya and Asia put together, and was the way to other islands, and from these you might pass to the whole of the opposite continent which surrounded the true ocean; for this sea which is within the Straits of Heracles is only a harbour, having a narrow entrance, but that other is a real sea, and the surrounding land may be most truly called a boundless continent.

Now in this island of Atlantis there was a great and wonderful empire which had rule over the whole island and several others, and over parts of the continent, and, furthermore, the men of Atlantis had subjected the parts of Libya within the columns of Heracles as far as Egypt, and of Europe as far as Tyrrhenia. This vast power, gathered into one, endeavoured to subdue at a blow our country and yours and the whole of the region within the straits; and then, Solon, your country shone forth, in the excellence of her virtue and strength, among all mankind. She was pre-eminent in courage and military skill, and was the leader of the Hellenes. And when the rest fell off from her, being compelled to stand alone, after having undergone the very extremity of danger, she defeated and triumphed over the invaders, and preserved from slavery those who were not yet subjugated, and generously liberated all the rest of us who dwell within the pillars.

But afterwards there occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and in a single day and night of misfortune all your warlike men in a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner disappeared in the depths of the sea. For which reason the sea in those parts is impassable and impenetrable, because there is a shoal of mud in the way; and this was caused by the subsidence of the island.

***

Previous Rohkunstbau exhibitions:

2008 Rohkunstbau XV: Drei Farben Rot/Three Colours Red – Brüderlichkeit – Fraternity; Marc Bauer (CH.), Guy Ben-Ner (ISR), Richard Hamilton (GB), Britta Jonas (GER), Alexandra Khlestkina (RUS), Jonathan Monk (GB), José Noguero (ES), Bettina Pousttchi (GER), Cornelia Renz (GER), Brigitte Waldach (GER).

2007 Rohkunstbau XIV: Drei Farben Weiss/Three Colours White – Gleichheit – Equality; Candice Breitz (SA), Maria Chevska (GB), Thomas Demand (GER), Ayse Erkmen (TUR), Jaroslaw Flicinski (POL), Ola Kolehmainen (FIN), Thomas Rentmeister (GER), Gerhard Richter (GER), Julian RoseFeldt (GER), Gil Marco Shani (ISR).

2006 Rohkunstbau XIII: Drei Farben Blau/Three Colours Blue – Freiheit – Freedom; Vasco Araujo (POR), Sylvie Barrie (FR), The Blue Noses (RUS), Monica Bonvicini (IT), A.K.Dolven (Nor), Mona Hatoum (PAL-GB), Langlands & Bell (GB), Melanie Manchot (GER), Gregor Schneider (GER), Costa Vece (CH), Michael Wesely (GER).

2005 Rohkunstbau XII: Kinderszenen/Child’s Play; Louise Bourgeois (US), Sergey Bratkov (RUS), Jake and Dinos Chapman (GB), Yann Delacour (FR), Marcel Dzama (CAN), Fang Lijun (CH), Laura Ford (GB), ///////fur/// (Ger), Michael Kutschbach (AUS), Via Lewandowsky (GER), Bjørn Melhus (NOR), Michael Sailstorfer (GER), Cornelius Völker (GER).

2004 Rohkunstbau XI: European Portrait II: A House in the Country; Miroslaw Balka (POL), CHEN Shaofeng (CH), Thomas Florschuetz (GER), Shilpa Gupta (IND), Susan Hiller (US.GB), Markus Hiemer (AUT), Kristina Incuraite (LITH), Lina Kim (BR), Joao (POR), Yehudit Sasportas (ISR), Cornelia Schleime (GER), Yinka Sonibare (GB).

***

Mark Gisborne is an art historian, curator, and critic. His articles have appeared in Contemporary, Art in America, Art Monthly, and the Art Review. He lives in Berlin.

Brief selection of books:

- Mark Gisbourne: Double Act: Two Artists, One Expression; and: Double Act: Künstlerpaare, 2007

- Jim Rakete, Mark Gisbourne: Berlin Art Now, 2006

- Mark Gisbourne: Dead or Alive, 2000