Carsten Recksik

The British countryside, 60m miles outside of Birmingham, a race-course for horses, a clubhouse next to it,
inside low ceilings, carpets in beige, a strangely constructed stand, starring a gray- haired couple with
their accessories, the gavel and phone, a few freaks and history fanatics Carsten Recksik documented an
auction for Hitler watercolours in the British province.

The self-portrait, considered the only one in existence by Adolf Hitler, is finally put to the hammer for
£10,000 sterling. The YouTube-style of the film and the undefined soundscape, out of which the name of
the "artist" appears every now and then, create a rather realistic image of this abstract situation.

In his work, Recksik uses interventions in public space to reflect tendencies in society and art. He defines
spaces which are normally overlooked: the auction in the British clubhouse, the temporary accommodation
in the pedestrian underpass, the observation room opposite the art academy. Recksik is increasingly
interested in the role of publicity in the art world and the view behind the scenes. The central theme of the
works in the exhibition New Release! is: the international art business, a self-aggrandising and hermetically
encapsulated scene everyone wants to be part of. Therefore sacrifices have to be made: consolatory
cuddles for Kippenberger´s Martin, animal experiments in Brazilian laboratories, queuing at museums for
hours and even night-time camping outside London's trendy galleries. "Early-bird" Recksik is there, either
in a sleeping bag or with his 2GB camera which captures the heavy rush of visitors at the long night of the
museums in Berlin. Carsten Recksik frankly questions the people's increasing excitement about art events,
not with the scrutiny of an art critic, but with an ironic wink. .

In this show, alongside photos and videos, Carsten Recksik will also show graphical works like Exhibitions
visited 2007-2008 an overlap of press releases of art shows he has visited in the last two years. What was
formerly committed to paper by their authors in a serious manner now melts into a mash of words. By
showing the rrepetitive language of the art world, you can literally see the emptiness of these texts.
Recksik's new art book, published by the salon Verlag Cologne is also based on press releases from art
galleries and is launched with the opening of New Release!.

Text by Verena Baader (Exhibition: "Carsten Recksik - New Release", Dina4 Projekte, June 2009)