220908: Haus der Kunst: Brilliantfeuerwerk

Haus der Kunst: Brilliantfeuerwerk Beacon brute Eleven companies. Eleven collections. One exhibit. Always a full stop in between, not a comma, otherwise it would be a boring list, but no exclamation marks, they would make it too pretentious – this is how the exhibit presents itself. Munich shows collections belonging to the companies Siemens, Münchner Rück, and Burda; and they all want to be seen on the occasion of the 850-year celebration of Isar-Athens. What’s missing in the above list is the curator: Udo Kittelmann. The designated managing director in Spree-Athens enjoyed rummaging around the collections of these companies and to uncover all that is possible. But the Haus der Kunst only offered the back left corridor, close to the broom closet, but at least there is a red carpet leading through the terrain. So Kittelmann curated the show. A blue dot can be found on John Baldessari’s photo work, as well as on the young Munich-based artist Lorenz Straßl’s light installation. A painting by Gursky and a collection of Warhol magazine covers of the German “Bunte" are jointly displayed. This is the manner in which the exhibit is set up and towards the end you will find a flying object by Panamarenko under the ceiling. On the wall: a panorama view of clouds. And in every section the curator enjoyed adding quotes by Karl Valentin, whom he explicitly gave the title of “co- curator”. Kittelmann was allowed to organize an exhibit, which neglects all prerequisites of modern quality with its brutality and compulsive “trying to be funny”-attitude. This exhibit has nothing to offer for those who come here for the sake of art. All those who took part at the opening and did not have to applaud or subjugate to the companies or any Bavarian sentiments, were simply embarrassed. But if you listened to the opening speeches and realized that Munich’s main cultural advisor misquoted Valentin, that the president of the Goethe-Institute misquoted Thomas Mann, and that Hubert Burda did the same with Wolfgang Ullrich, you will be aware of who the exhibit is aimed at. What should Kittelmann have done? Maybe decline. Haus der Kunst 80538 Munich, Prinzregentenstrasse 1, until 11.01.09 www.hausderkunst.de