Burger Kings & Burger Queens – „False“ Crowns and Real People: What makes me a very special person? / „Falsche“ Kronen und richtige Menschen – was macht mich zu einer ganz besonderen Person? Amsterdam | NL; New York | US; Wien | AT · 1995–2019 (© PP · Ewiges Archiv) When I was rushing through the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam lately, I passed a crown (top left) and took a snapshot – always interested in collecting crowns for the Eternal Archives. Of course I thought it to be an important and most valuable crownjewel of the Dutch . . . Only yesterday, researching for this tableau I read the caption to the piece: „Crown for the King of Ardra, England, c. 1664, brass, glass, velvet. Although impressive, this crown is actually made of inexpensive materials. It was meant to be a gift from the English to the king of Adra on the west coast of Africa. The English (as well as the Dutch) used such diplomatic incentives to foster the trade in enslaved Africans. The crown, however, never reached the king. Admiral Michiel de Ruyter seized it while on a mission to expel the English from the Dutch fortresses on the African coast.“
So the crown I thought being a most valuable piece was a cheap trick, like a glass-pearl, meant to endeavour the slave-trade!
When the artist Kofi Setordji from Ghana (big picture right and top right) came to my studio a few years ago he glanced at the crown Götz Bury had made for me out of used cutlery and was very amused about it. He asked me to take pictures of him with the crown. He wanted to make fun of the stamps with the Queen because Ghana was for a long time also a crown-colony of the British Empire. „Kofi is an internationally renowned sculptor and artist and has been practising for over 20 years. His art focuses on genocide, and he has previously created a monument to the people who lost their lives. He is still travelling the world over 10 years after this famous piece was created. You can learn more about this work here. Kofi runs Arthaus, a global residency for practicing artists, and mentors creative people in Ghana. On the 15th October 2008, Kofi was the first African to receive the Rockefeller Foundation Creative Arts Fellowship.“ (nubuke)
Odile Tevie (big picture left) also shown with the „tongue-in-cheek“ crown of Götz Bury is the director of the Nubuke Foundation in Accra / Ghana. Odile graduated from the University of Ghana in 1986 and worked in various positions with banking software group Misys, before managing the IT operations of Ghana International Bank in London. After setting up her own art gallery, Black Swan, in the English capital, Odile worked with several Ghanaian, Togolese and Nigerian artists, to promote their work. A founding member and director of Nubuke Foundation, Odile is passionate about providing alternative opportunities for children wanting to learn about Ghanaian culture. Odile says, "The Foundation is concerned by the erosion of our culture and I believe it's necessary to protect the very essence of what makes us Ghanaian - something which will always set us apart." (nubuke)
Nubuke Foundation is a visual art and cultural institution based in East Legon, Accra, Ghana. Founded in 2006, it serves as a nexus for arts and culture across the country while supporting the artistic practice of Ghanaians: young, mid-career and experienced. We work to make the appreciation of art, culture, heritage and history accessible to all. The artistic programming includes exhibitions, readings, talks, film screenings, performances, seminars and workshops for the culturally curious. Nubuke Foundation was awarded the Tourist Attraction of the Year 2016, by the Ghana Tourist Authority (Greater Accra Region).
There is since quite some years a cooperation between Nubuke Foundation and the University of Applied Arts going on – focusing on the support of a project for weavers – especially women.
https://www.dieangewandte.at/ausstellungen/kofi_setordji_adannvor_-_creative_textile
The photo top row second from left I took in New York 1995 shows an artwork by Barbara Kruger. Barbara Kruger (* 1945 in Newark, New Jersey) is an US-American conceptual artist, known for her largesized posters and installations.
Third photo: The one and only Kestutis Lapsys – impersonating a very special and personal king, bottom left: a participant of the monthly Criticla Mass bike demo, second from left: British actress Tamzin Griffin (Royal National Theatre among others); myself with the made-to-measure crown of cutlery and artist and crownmaker Götz Bury (who btw was longtime head of Franz West’s workshop and produced many of the now really most valuable pieces of West.
Burger Kings & Burger Queens – “False” Crowns and Real People: What makes me a very special person? / “Wrong” crowns and right people – what makes me a very special person? Amsterdam | NL; New York | US; Vienna | AT · 1995–2019 (© PP · Ewiges Archiv) When I was rushing through the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam lately, I passed a crown (top left) and took a snapshot – always interested in collecting crowns for the Eternal Archives. Of course I thought it to be an important and most valuable crown jewel of the Dutch. , , Only yesterday, researching for this tableau I read the caption to the piece: “Crown for the King of Ardra, England, c. 1664, brass, glass, velvet. Although impressive, this crown is actually made of inexpensive materials. It was meant to be a gift from the English to the king of Adra on the west coast of Africa. The English (as well as the Dutch) used such diplomatic incentives to foster the trade in enslaved Africans. The crown, however, never reached the king. Admiral Michiel de Ruyter seized it while on a mission to expel the English from the Dutch fortresses on the African coast. “
So the crown I thought being a most valuable piece was a cheap trick, like a glass-pearl, meant to endeavor the slave-trade!
When the artist Kofi Setordji from Ghana (big picture right and top right) came to my studio a few years ago he glanced at the crown Götz Bury had made for me out of used cutlery and was very amused about it. He asked me to take pictures of him with the crown. He wanted to make fun of the stamps with the Queen because Ghana was for a long time also a crown-colony of the British Empire. “Kofi is an internationally renowned sculptor and artist and has been practicing for over 20 years. His art focuses on genocide, and he has previously created a monument to the people who lost their lives. He is still traveling the world over 10 years after this famous piece was created. You can learn more about this work here. Kofi runs Arthaus, a global residency for practicing artists, and mentors creative people in Ghana. On the 15th October 2008, Kofi was the first African to receive the Rockefeller Foundation Creative Arts Fellowship. ”(Nubuke)
Odile Tevie (big picture left) also shown with the “tongue-in-cheek” crown of Götz Bury is the director of the Nubuke Foundation in Accra / Ghana. Odile graduated from the University of Ghana in 1986 and worked in various positions with banking software group Misys, before managing the IT operations of Ghana International Bank in London. After setting up her own art gallery, Black Swan, in the English capital, Odile worked with several Ghanaian, Togolese and Nigerian artists, to promote their work. A founding member and director of Nubuke Foundation, Odile is passionate about providing alternative opportunities for children wanting to learn about Ghanaian culture. Odile says, “The Foundation is concerned by the erosion of our culture and I believe it’s necessary to protect the very essence of what makes us Ghanaian – something which will always set us apart.” (Nubuke)
Nubuke Foundation is a visual art and cultural institution based in East Legon, Accra, Ghana. Founded in 2006, it serves as a nexus for arts and culture across the country while supporting the artistic practice of Ghanaians: young, mid-career and experienced. We work to make the appreciation of art, culture, heritage and history accessible to all. The artistic programming includes exhibitions, readings, talks, film screenings, performances, seminars and workshops for the culturally curious. Nubuke Foundation was awarded the Tourist Attraction of the Year 2016, by the Ghana Tourist Authority (Greater Accra Region).
There is since quite some years a cooperation between Nubuke Foundation and the University of Applied Arts going on – focusing on the support of a project for weavers – especially women.
https://www.dieangewandte.at/ausstellungen/kofi_setordji_adannvor_-_creative_textile
The photo top row second from left I took in New York 1995 shows an artwork by Barbara Kruger. Barbara Kruger (* 1945 in Newark, New Jersey) is an US-American conceptual artist, known for her largesized posters and installations.
Third photo: The one and only Kestutis Lapsys – impersonating a very special and personal king, bottom left: a participant of the monthly Criticla Mass bike demo, second from left: British actress Tamzin Griffin (Royal National Theater among others); myself with the made-to-measure crown of cutlery and artist and crownmaker Götz Bury (who btw was longtime head of Franz West’s workshop and produced many of the now really most valuable pieces of West.
