Alice Creischer’s installation refers to Gustave Courbets “Pavillon du Réalisme”, realized for the World Exhibition in 1855. Courbets attempt to break free from the influence of patrons and juries became a blueprint for artistic resistance and self-orginasation. During the World Exhibition in Hannover in 2000, Creischer was invited to contribute to the influencial exhibition “Governmentality. Art in conflict with the international hyper-bourgeoisie and the national petty bourgeoisie”, curated by Ruth Noack and Roger Buergel for Alte Kestner Gesellschaft in Hannover. In a casual garden tent, wearing the inscription “Le Réalisme” and placed outside the exhibition building, Creischer installed a puppet theatre play that dealt with the historic and contemporary negociations between intellectual, political and economic powers.
The first act of the play, seen on a table that serves as a stage, plays in the French National Assembly. Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, who pleaded for a socialism without violence subsequent to the revolution in 1848, suggests the communitarisation of banks – without success. The second and third act are a sound play, displayed on headphones. The second act (Die Gesellschaft des 10. Dezember) is a collage of passages from Karl Marx’ “18. Brumaire des Louis Bonaparte”. The third act (Der Club der faulen Debitoren), is a collage of Sohn Rethel´s "Aufzeichnungen aus dem mitteldeutschen Wirtschaftstag". During the Third Reich, this powerful organisation of German's leading Banks and Enterprises – highly in depted – decided to collaborate with the Nazis in order to communitarise their depts. Proudhons suggestion is turned upside down, the scene plays underneath the table.
Proudhon, die Gesellschaft des 10. Dezember und der Club der faulen Debitoren, 2000-2015
Mixed media installation
Proudhon, die Gesellschaft des 10. Dezember und der Club der faulen Debitoren, 2000-2015, Mixed media installation, ca. 243 x 307 x 440 cm
Exhibition History:
MACBA, Barcelona (Solo), 2008
Alte Kestner Gesellschaft, Hannover (Group), 2000
Alice Creischer
Alice Creischer, born in Gerolstein in 1960, studied Philosophy, German literature and Visual Arts in Düsseldorf. As one of the key figures of German political art movements in the Nineties, Creischer contributed to a great amount of collective projects, publications, and exhibitions. Her artistic and theoretic agenda within institutional and economical critique has evolved over 20 years, more recently focusing on the early history of capitalism and globalization. As co-curator of such paradigmatic exhibitions like Messe 2ok (1995), ExArgentina (2004) and The Potosi Principle (2010), Creischer has developed a specific curatorial practice that correlates with her work as an artist and theorist, including her extensive practice in archive research. As author Creischer has contributed to many publications, magazines and fanzines. She has been awarded a few prizes throughout the years, most recently of the Günther-Peill-Stiftung (Düren, 2018). She has hold solo exhibitions at institutions such as Stadtgalerie Wedding, Berlin (2019), Culturgest, Lisbon (2017), ifa Galerie, Berlin (2013), MACBA, Barcelona (2008) and secession Vienna (2001). Her work has been shwon in group shows at Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin (2022, 2021, 2019, 2017), Künstlerhaus Bethanien (2021), LWL Museum, Münster (2021), Gropius Bau, Berlin (2019), Van Abbe Museum, Eindhoven (2018), Museum der Moderne, Salzburg (2016), ludwig Forum aachen (2015) among others.
- Anna Boghiguian
- Candice Breitz
- Marco A. Castillo
- CATPC
- Alice Creischer
- Chto Delat
- Clegg & Guttmann
- Eugenio Dittborn
- Heinrich Dunst
- Anna Ehrenstein
- Estate of León Ferrari
- Peter Friedl
- Sophie Gogl
- Estate of Barbara Hammer
- The Cabinet of Ramon Haze
- Hiwa K
- Simon Lehner
- Renzo Martens
- Chris Martin
- Frédéric Moser & Philippe Schwinger
- Oswald Oberhuber
- Mario Pfeifer
- Dierk Schmidt
- Santiago Sierra
- Michael E. Smith
- Franz Erhard Walther
- Clemens von Wedemeyer
- Tobias Zielony