Die Sammlung als Labor/2003

As a rule, the stocks of art museums- apart from those holding specific collections- are inconsistent. Well- known works from past or recent art history appear next to unknown ones, celebrated contemporary works suddenly appear alongside formerly famous ones. Many of the works that were once exhibited and discussed are missing because they were not readily collectable, nobody wanted to collect them, or perhaps because the necessary means of ›preserving‹ them were not available at the time. Occasionally, relics and fragments remain that refer to a greater context, the knowledge of which has been lost or forgotten. Yet- however heterogeneous it may be- a collection’s stock must necessarily be viewed as echoing particular interests in society. And here, GfZK is no exception. Its stock is centred around the BDI (Federation of German Industries) Collection, which was given- to great politico- cultural effect- to the GfZK’s supporting body and which has, over time, been complemented through private donations and permanent loans. Parts of the GfZK Collection will be exhibited for one month respectively. These presentations are thematically linked to the exhibitions in the Gallery, in attempt to disclose the opportunities and advantages of a heterogeneous collection. Developed by the Danish artists’ group Superflex, the Internet channel ›Kanal 11‹ accompanies the series as a forum of discourse.

Collection