Andreas Slominski

Unlike many other artists in Skulptur Projekte, Andreas Slominski had already undertaken his actions and interventions in the run-up to the exhibition. In June 1996 he had a giraffe in Münster zoo lick an ordinary postage stamp. With the stamp Slominski then franked a letter. On his second visit in November 1996 he had the tyre belonging to the museum’s own “company” bicycle looped around a street lamp. But instead of “threading” the tyre over the top of the lamp he had the designated street lamp disconnected from the mains, excavated with a digger, then lifted out in order to place the tyre around the lamp’s mast from below. (The bicycle tyre was stolen by unknown persons just a few days later.) Both actions and the installation were completed before the launch of Skulptur. Projekte in Münster 1997 and were already no longer on view for visitors at the opening. Only witness accounts and documentation in newspapers and the exhibition catalogue¹ were evidence of Slominski’s contribution to Skulptur Projekte. All that remains is the captivating absurdity of his mischievous works which, besides their high degree of concentration and passion for detail, are imbued with profanity and humour.

Jenny Katharina Hoedemaker

¹ Anja Tippner, “Andreas Slominski. Von Rahmen, Funktionen und Giraffen”, in: Klaus Bußmann, Kasper König and Florian Matzner (eds.), Skulptur. Projekte in Münster 1997, exhib. cat. Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte, Münster, Ostfildern-Ruit, 1997, pp. 396–401.