MOOS ICH KAU

 


MOSS I CHEW

The idea for this installation "MOSS I CHEW" was born in 1993, thinking about a special summer exhibit in Castle Mosigkau, near Dessau in Eastern Germany.

Within my contribution to this exhibit I changed the name of the town "Mosigkau" into "Moos-ich-kau" (Moss I chew)

At that time the decline of greater countries into many small regions was a very interesting phenomenon for me with regard to international political developments. And interesting too was that each of them made territorial claims. In the former Russia and Yugoslavia these tendencies turned out in a very extrem manner. But in the area of the former "DDR" one could observe it as well, though without military attendant circumstances.

But most curious seems to me the come-back of the nobility after the era of "socialism", which according to Lenin, is a preliminary stage of communism, as we all know.

Especially the nobility is characterized by an increasing process of democratization yet. Even if someone is not of aristocratic descent, he can all the same be promoted and become an earl or prince. And if a nobleman gets weary of his wife, he no longer has to finish her off. A divorce instead of this will supply her with a lavish compensation and him with more concentration when playing polo.

Quite in contrast to circumstances in the former "DDR" free citizens nowadays can choose if they get ahead from a dishwasher either to a millioneer or to a prince. Since TV-spots tell us: Nowadays hands wash up.

Somebody who doesn't like to wash up, like our prince and patron in Anhalt, has the chance to start a job as an older princess' room waiter. Later on, being married to her, he may still have a look if there aren't more princesses.

To cut a long story short: "MOOS-ICH-KAU" - "MOSS-I-CHEW" plays around with the ambiguity of these words.
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