The President who became a Wardrobe: Documentation of the 2020 International Kronberg Art-Worksho

By Michael A. Holst and Marcellus M. Menke

Every year since 2008 the artist Michael A. Holst does his creative Summer Workshop in Kronberg, Germany. Due to the corona pandemic, this year everything was different. Together with his colleague Marcellus M. Menke he did a totally digital workshop. The amazing result of this experiment can be seen in this little booklet. Done in the feel and look of a children's book, it is a strong political statement of the group of young international artists who took part in the workshop. In the Appendix you find an Interview with Michael A. Holst and Marcellus M. Menke, additional background information about the workshop and its participants and some sketches portraying the participants.

Text in English and German.

Seit 2008 veranstaltet der Künstler Michael A. Holst jedes Jahr seinen kreativen Sommerworkshop in Kronberg, Deutschland. Aufgrund der Corona-Pandemie war dieses Jahr alles anders. Zusammen mit seinem Kollegen Marcellus M. Menke führte er einen vollständig digitalen Workshop durch. Das erstaunliche Ergebnis dieses Experiments ist in diesem kleinen Büchlein zu sehen. Es hat die Anmutung eines Kinderbuchs doch sein Inhalt ist ein starkes politisches Statement der Gruppe junger internationaler Künstler, die an diesem Workshop teilgenommen haben. Im Anhang findet sich ein Interview mit Michael A. Holst und Marcellus M. Menke, zusätzliche Hintergrundinformationen über den Workshop und seine Teilnehmer sowie einige Skizzen, die die Teilnehmer porträtieren.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Books on Demand
• Release date: Oct 15, 2020
• ISBN: 9783752614893

Michael A. Holst

The artist Michael Holst is truly an universalist. He works with a variety of media and techniques. His work includes both, classical works on canvas and paper, but also sculptures and extensive installations. One of his most valued medium is the digital photography. The data he produces with his camera is the basis for his impressive prints in a wide variety of formats, documenting his installations and project concepts. These documentaries are the basic algebra for the illustrated books of the contempART edition, which are usually published annually. The volume "Hohes Holz" documents the large-format oil paintings of the exhibition of the same name. In the book "Julchen darf heut' nicht im Garten arbeiten" is the documentation of an installation cycle in a German allotment colony. The volume "72 Bilder meines Waschbeckens am Morgen" deals with topics from the work of Joseph Beuys. In the documentary "Nacht Bilder" he shows details of his "Installation ohne Hase" in which he deals with motifs from the works of Ewald Mataré, Joseph Beuys and Günther Uecker. Der Künstler Michael Holst ist ein wahrhaftiger Universalist. Er arbeitet mit den unterschiedlichsten Medien und Techniken. Sein Werk umfasst sowohl ganz klassische Arbeiten auf Leinwand und Papier, aber auch Skulpturen und umfangreiche Installationen. Ein von ihm geschätztes Medium ist die digitale Photographie. Er erstellt mit ihr beeindruckende Prints in den unterschiedlichsten Formaten und er dokumentiert mit ihr seine Installationen und Projektkonzepte. Diese Dokumentationen sind die Grundlage für die Bildbände der contempART-Edition, die in der Regel jährlich erscheinen. Im Band "Hohes Holz" dokumentiert er die großformatigen Ölbilder der gleichnamigen Ausstellung. Im Band "Julchen kann heut' nicht im Garten arbeiten" findet sich die Dokumentation eines Installationszyklus in einer deutschen Kleingartenkolonie. Der Band "72 Bilder meines Waschbeckens am Morgen" setzt sich mit Themen aus dem Werk von Joseph Beuys auseinander. In der Dokumentation "Nachtbilder" zeigt er Details seiner "Installation ohne Hase", in der er sich mit Motiven aus den Werken von Ewald Mataré, Joseph Beuys und Günther Uecker auseinandersetzt.

Book preview

Table of Contents

A really extraordinary Workshop / Ein wirklich außergewöhnlicher Workshop

The Participants / Die Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer

Impressions from the workshop in sketches / Eindrücke vom Workshop in Zeichnungen

One day in the White House ...

"I do not want to be discriminated

against just because I am a

wardrobe", said the president . . .

. . . and didn’t notice that he just had

become a wardrobe.

The Vice President entered the room.

"I didn’t know, that we have such a

ridiculous wardrobe here", he said.

The wardrobe reminded him of the President.

He tried to call the President, but with no success.

Was there a woman in the room?

The vice president was always afraid

of being alone in a room with a

woman not being his wife. But it

was only his own shadow that had

irritated him.

I don’t want to become a fearful grey cat, said the Vice President and in that moment he became a grey cat, trembling with fear.

He jumped on the wardrobe and tried to hide behind the wardrobes crown.

A woman entered the room. It was not the Vice President’s wife. It was the wife of the President who was a wardrobe now. She had turned into a sniffing witch, looking for her secretly self-made surgical mask.

But she only found a photograph from times past ...

... and her copy of the prenup that she had newly renegotiated before she moved to the White House.

She burned it.

In the White House Rose Garden the President’s Covid-Task-Force gave a press conference. A journalist asked for the President.

Dr. Anthony S. Faucy looked to Dr. Deborah L. Birx. A short irritated smile occurred on their faces, then Dr. Anthony S. Faucy nodded supportingly to Dr. Deborah L. Birx.

The President is said to have turned into a wardrobe, said Dr. Deborah L. Birx.

But there yet is no final scientific evidence for that, added Dr. Anthony S. Faucy.

And it is confidential information, twittered a bird sitting on the branch of a rosebush nearby.