The Kaputtnik installation by the Leipzig artist Paule Hammer (*1975) – specially created for the largest hall of the MdbK – towers 12 metres high as a human-animal hybrid. The artist and his team spent three weeks assembling the monumental piece. Scaffolding was put up to help cut the sculpture into its final form, consisting of blocks and rendered layers of polystyrene.
Paule Hammer’s Kaputtnik consists of the body of a lion and a human head. The sculpture bears the likeness of Klaus Kinski (1926–1991), reflecting earlier works by Paule Hammer. As an example, his work “Niemand weiß, was wir fühlen” (Nobody knows what we feel) from 2005 also played with the head of the controversial art figure. The gigantic creature is equally reminiscent of the majestic temple guards known from antiquity. Its mere size imbues the figure with a sense of menace.
Kaputtnik is work in progress. Seven events in total will take place in and around Hammer’s work over the course of the exhibition, changing it and allowing it to evolve. The artist will use the interior of the walk-in sculpture to present Mental Cinema Kaputtnik with a variety of guests, allowing visitors to participate in Kaputtnik’s intellectual capriciousness.
The exhibition is funded by the Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen and co-financed using public funds, based on the budget approved by the Members of the Saxon State Parliament.
