Saâdane Afif: Five Preludes

In the form of an artistic archive project, Afif has traced the history of the reception of Marcel Duchamp’s legendary 1917 readymade Fountain. The exhibition features this chronicling work, dedicated to a prominent chapter in 20th century art, together with others by the artist that use depth and subtle humour to scrutinise the art museum as an institution.

Sâadane Afif's installations, objects, concerts, and performances draw on works or events from art history, music, and poetry. The long-term project “The Fountain Archives” began in 2008 with the collection of magazines, catalogs, and books and ended in 2022 with the publication of an index to Marcel Duchamp's (1887-1968) famous readymade of a urinal, which sparked a debate about what art is in 1917. Part of the room installation made of bookshelves are 25 song lyrics inspired by the “Fountain Project” from artist, musician, and author friends. The exhibition also shows the 2010 work “L'Humour noir” about questions concerning the reception of the avant-garde and its tradition in museums. Also on display are the new works “The Old,” referring to Jeff Koons' 1980s series “The New,” and “Live,” an ongoing poster presentation of Berlin cultural events during the exhibition.

Saȃdane Afif (born 1970 in Vendôme, France) lives in Berlin. He exhibited at Documenta 12 (2007), the 8th Berlin Biennale (2014), and the 56th Venice Biennale (2015), and received the Prix Marcel Duchamp in 2009. He has had solo exhibitions at the Centre Pompidou in Paris (2010), the Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt am Main (2012), and the Kunsthalle Wien (2018), among others. Afif participated in the exhibition project “Scores” at the Hamburger Bahnhof in 2016 and was artistic director of Berge in 2022.