Art as a Political Statement

You innocently wander into IKEA thinking you will check out the mid-priced beds or the fully-equipped kitchens only to discover a photo of four lonely fish sticks artfully-arranged in a frying pan clipped to the counter. You open the display refrigerator and discover two little white mice occupying one of the shelves. What IS going on? It turns out that Ruppe Koselleck has visited this particular IKEA and left his "calling card". Particularly memorable are his family photos, half of his shaved head with a raw steak where a hat might be, his infant daughter swallowed up by a huge beanbag chair, and the red-with-a white-bar-across DO NOT ENTER symbol placed in the toilet bowl. It does make you stop and consider. At a recent public event in Emsdetten, 30 km north of Münster, Ruppe explained that he had unloaded quite a bit of trash at IKEA. He had placed items under cushions on couches and in drawers of display desks, etc. Actually this has been an ongoing project for over ten years. He has played art in IKEA stores in France, England and throughout Germany. We are of course hoping for San Diego, but will wait and see. When no one was watching (actually, when is anyone watching at IKEA?) he would open up a small picture frame and insert his own family photo. Eventually he made a film of himself in action, a film which we were shown at the Galerie Münsterland in Emsdetten. Only once, did IKEA actually respond to Ruppe's activities. They took one of the photos and displayed it in the management's office. While we were at the event, we partook in the rest of the art on display and were particularly struck by one piece which also had attracted a lot of attention from the younger crowd. It consisted of a large circle of salt strewn on the floor with a small something in the middle which went mostly unnoticed. The interactive aspect began as one small child tasted it to be sure what it was and then the children began to make art; indeed one of the Koselleck children left the most lasting-impression, a large, broad face. Even a baby left a footprint. My friend, the artist, told me that this is what art is all about. Let it with messed with!