Die Bibliothek A.H.

2014, porcellin, 40 × 200 × 30 cm

The evil associated with the figure of Adolf Hitler is manifest not only in the unfathomable crimes against humanity during his dictatorship, but also, to this day, in the book Mein Kampf. This is still, in Germany at least, on the list of forbidden books. In contrast bookshelves are an emblematic representation of man’s desire to ever broader understanding and thus per se of an individual or collective wish for a better world. Sebastian Utzni’s work brings both ideas together in the innocent white of his stocked shelf A.H.. And, if we believe we can decipher a person, in a classical sense, from the collected titles on their shelves, the unpleasant feeling takes hold that this might once have been the case: military literature lines up beside the usual suspects from philosophy; racist teachings alongside adventure stories, historic reference books beside world literature. Sebastian Utzni convinced the jury with his delicately balanced installation, which approaches the everyday nature of evil, in addition to the in-depth research applied to previous works.

Press release of Helmhaus, 2014, Zurich, CH

Exhibited in Werk- und Atelierstipendien der Stadt Zürich, Helmhaus, Switzerland.

Photos © by Lorenzo Pusterla.

Sebastian Utzni
Die Bibliothek A.H.

http://www.sebastianutzni.com/cms/files/projects/die-bibliothek-ah/43_18_MG_8757_web.jpg

Die Bibliothek A.H., 2014, porcellin, 40 × 200 × 30 cm

http://www.sebastianutzni.com/cms/files/projects/die-bibliothek-ah/43_IMG_0001Montage_web_v4.jpg

Die Bibliothek A.H., 2014 porcellin 40 × 200 × 30 cm

Further works

Grosse schwarze Kerze   Mythos