Franz Wassermann
EXISTENZ
May 8, 2009 – June 27, 2009
Flags
The Old High German term ’gundfano’ (battle cloth) describes an embroidered or imprinted cloth that was mounted on a pole. It’s a derivative of the Roman insignia that originally was made of wood and metal to hold the symbols of battle and sovereignty.
Cross
Derived from the Latin word ’crux’ (wood of torture). The cross made of two even bars was already known during the young Stone Age. It’s assumed to have been a symbol for the point of the compass and the sun. Since the times of the emperor Constantine the Great the cross has been the most commonly designed object in Christian art. It serves as a commitment to the Christian believes and is a symbol for the resurrection.
The provokingly irritating principles on the flags and the crosses substantiate the myths of battle and sacrifice in our society: ‘Mein Körper gehört nicht mir’ (My Body doesn’t belong to me), ’Mein Körper ist eine Waffe’ (My Body is a Weapon), ’Mein Körper ist das Schlachtfeld’ (My Body is the Battle Field). Whereas the Greek, Latin, Arabic and Hebrew principles refer to the great monotheistic religions of the world, the English maxims relate to the global position of power of economics and science.
Wassermann thus visualizes power and powerlessness and the exploitation of image and word with very simple means. The human being between the priorities of politics and religion is and has always been the object of power struggles. By public accumulation of their symbols like the cross, flag, portrait and word Wassermann forces the myth to the surface and makes it visible and arguable.
By distributing flyers in the whole city Wassermann emphasizes and references to the global mechanism of marketing and manipulation.
The Old High German term ’gundfano’ (battle cloth) describes an embroidered or imprinted cloth that was mounted on a pole. It’s a derivative of the Roman insignia that originally was made of wood and metal to hold the symbols of battle and sovereignty.
Cross
Derived from the Latin word ’crux’ (wood of torture). The cross made of two even bars was already known during the young Stone Age. It’s assumed to have been a symbol for the point of the compass and the sun. Since the times of the emperor Constantine the Great the cross has been the most commonly designed object in Christian art. It serves as a commitment to the Christian believes and is a symbol for the resurrection.
The provokingly irritating principles on the flags and the crosses substantiate the myths of battle and sacrifice in our society: ‘Mein Körper gehört nicht mir’ (My Body doesn’t belong to me), ’Mein Körper ist eine Waffe’ (My Body is a Weapon), ’Mein Körper ist das Schlachtfeld’ (My Body is the Battle Field). Whereas the Greek, Latin, Arabic and Hebrew principles refer to the great monotheistic religions of the world, the English maxims relate to the global position of power of economics and science.
Wassermann thus visualizes power and powerlessness and the exploitation of image and word with very simple means. The human being between the priorities of politics and religion is and has always been the object of power struggles. By public accumulation of their symbols like the cross, flag, portrait and word Wassermann forces the myth to the surface and makes it visible and arguable.
By distributing flyers in the whole city Wassermann emphasizes and references to the global mechanism of marketing and manipulation.
