Deimantas Narkevičius

For skulptur projekte münster 07 the Lithuanian artist Deimantas Narkevičius planned to have the monument of Karl Marx in Chemnitz by the Soviet sculptor Lev Kerbel (1917–2003) transported to Münster. For the period of the exhibition the artist wanted to erect the monument in a prominent location in the city. When the responsible local authorities slapped a veto on the action Narkeviĉius proposed installing a copy of the giant head in Münster instead; but the authorities turned down this proposal too.

The vacant space in Chemnitz that would have been created by the statue’s removal would have fostered a new debate about Communist utopias. In Münster, on the other hand, the head would have felt like a film montage connecting the past with present-day political forms of society, ultimately raising the question of how one should deal with such an alien presence.

In the end, Narkevičius presented an alternative project in the atrium of the Landeshaus, the regional parliament. A film showed Lev Kerbel working on the bronze head of Karl Marx, combined with footage of children at school and people going about their day-to-day business. From historical film material the artist created a montage, assembling a 12-minute film which he set to catchy music and softly spoken narration.

Stefanie Raupach