Shopping Sets You Free - Key Holder, dimensions variable, 2014
Gift Shop, 2014 (ongoing project)
The word Gift in German means poison. In English, however, it refers to a talent or a present.
This Dada-like wordplay brought about an ongoing project I’ve started in 2014, when I was invited to be an Artist in Residence in Hannover. My studio and living space was a former morgue (Totenhaus) which was part of a Jewish hospital, in which the Jews of Hannover were gathered and later transported to their destiny. When the hospital was turned into luxurious flats, the municipality had to preserve a part of the historical building. They chose the Totenhaus and created a beautiful memorial site, which is big enough for one person to live and work in.
The idea of the Gift Shop popped into my mind during a stroll at Hannover Opera Square, where the Jewish Memorial resides. It was designed by Michaelangelo Pistoletto as a sort of a bench on which two people could sit and come in dialogue. However, as beautiful as it is, it frames a church-like building quite remarkably. I asked my host if that was a church. She told me it is the Deutsche Bank (former Hannover bank) and that the building attached to it is the stock market.
I then asked - would it be possible that on Kristallnacht, while the dignified people of Hannover put the flowers in commemoration of the Jewish victims - some might add a little “thank you” to the Deutsche Bank…? She replied it must have been a coincidence. I then approached the bank realizing its logo resembles the design of the memorial quite remarkably.
It was December, and the Xmas shopping hysteria was full on - I then participated and created the pop up Gift Shop.
I DB Haj, breakable money deposit jar
