Gustav Metzger – "Strampelde Bäumf"/Mirror Trees

Exhibition 21.05.10 – 31.03.11

In 1999, action artist Gustav Metzger covered the colonnade in front of the Haus der Kunst with tar and called this opus "Travertine/Judenpech". His work is now being exhibited in the Haus der Kunst for a second time: as of May 21, he will be showing "Strampelde Bäumf/Mirrortrees".
The title of the work is a reference to the artist's origins and childhood. He was born in Nuremberg in 1926, the son of orthodox Jews. He was sent to London in a children's transport, which allowed him to survive the Holocaust. But Gustav Metzger never saw his parents again – a trauma that permeated both his life and his work.
Gustav Metzger became famous in the 1960s as the protagonist of Auto-Destructive Art, of which he remains the most important exponent to this day. In his works, he concentrates on the destructive potential of the 20th century and on the capitalist system: "Auto-Destructive Art arises from the chaotic, obscene present (and) has been conceived as the last desperate, subversive and political weapon in the hand of artists.
It is an assault on the capitalist system and the manufacturing of weapons. It is committed to nuclear disarmament and the struggle of people against war." (Gustav Metzger, 1962)
"Strampelde Bäumf/Mirrortrees" shows trees that have been torn from the earth by the roots, turned upside down and poured in concrete – trees toppled and kicking wildly, an image that reflects the story of Metzger's life.