Page 34 - Katalog Beyond the Box 820 final.indd

can be interpreted like a real relic from Mel Chin‘s ruins of Detroit ves a hearing. All artists rub up against the state of the world and
or when Haegue Yang‘s constructive wall piece looks on Anastasi‘s reflect it and, to quote Okwui Enwesor again, art history for them,
masterful, minimalist drawing as its distant counterpart. as for the curator, always has to do with history. That the physician
and art enthusiast Dohmen is himself concerned with current global
The fact that most artists are represented by multiple works ma- issues is evidenced by his commitment to the intercultural project
kes the walk through the presentation easier for visitors and dee- ‚No es arte‘. This seeks to purchase treasures and artifacts once sto-
pens their understanding of the artistic statements. What‘s more, len from the original Colombian Tairona people and to return them
Dohmen rarely collects individual pieces in order to delight in their to their descendants.
trophy value, but instead engages intensively with the artists and
follows their ideas and approaches over a longer period of time. In the works of Rodney McMillian and Michael E. Smith, beyond
“Art must have an aura that captivates you,” the collector announ- all monetary value, but rather based on personal experience, used
ces. He has always been drawn to works that radiate sensuality, but objects and relics of everyday life speak of the predominantly
which, in addition to their almost seductive character, also pursue a desolate state of culture and civilisation. The American Rodney
recognisable concept. But this interpretation is not enough to fully McMillian collects carpets from bulk waste or from private homes,
characterise the collection‘s exceptional nature: All the artists also hangs them on the wall, and partially paints them. Like this, they
convey a mindset in their works from which speaks a – one may well are changed from objects of daily use to objects of art, transfor-
say moral – responsibility. And this quality is palpable, regardless of ming into abstract paintings. His painted fabrics and processed
whether the artists trace their own history in a global context, as carpets thematically reference both inner and outer space, with
in the work of Diango Hernández, or process stories, as do Haegue the human being absent from his own traces; standing on the frin-
Yang and Plamen Dejanoff, whether they deal with urbanism, like ges, often neglected and even disadvantaged by society, but se-
Hiroki Tsukuda, or with socio-political problems, as does Mel Chin; arching all the more intensely for his identity, creating breathing
they also develop ties to sciences, like Mariana Castillo Deball, and space and defending himself, here for instance with a banner like
even Anastasi, dealing primarily with intra-artistic problems, recei- a torched warning (‚Asshole Painting‘). The painting on a burnt

33