45cbm: Riccardo Paratore

For his exhibition Private Means, Riccardo Paratore put the organizational mechanisms of the Kunsthalle institution to the test. In the run-up to the exhibition, he did not submit the invoices for the framing of paintings or photographs or have the production costs for a sculpture or installation paid out. Without knowing exactly which objects he would acquire, he received an advance payment of 800 euros from the Kunsthalle's accounting department after some bureaucratic effort. Paratore used this sum to buy new Chelsea boots from the French fashion label Saint Laurent in Paris for 695 euros, as well as a bottle of "Opium" eau de toilette from the same label with the remaining sum. The shoes were painted white by him and were the only material object in the exhibition. Printed on both sides only, A4-sized papers containing information about the exhibition title Private Means as well as Paratore's further thoughts on the reasoning behind the purchase, and ending with a quote from Friedrich Theodor Vischer's 1879 essay "Mode und Cynismus", were also on display. In his text, Paratore first clarified the English term "private means", which in German could be translated as 'private means' and to which the German word 'Privatier' refers, although this does not exist in French. "This circumstance, or rather comfort, is of interest because the influence of the artist's social background (class affiliation) is often difficult to recognize in the œuvre and can often only be reconstructed using biographical data. A second expert look at the artist and or his work often allows certain nuances to be made," the text continued.

What is interesting in this context is the parallelism of the assessment as a form of classification, which Paratore initially carries out from the artist's point of view with a view to the work, but which takes place in everyday life with a view to the clothing and here above all to the shoes: are they clean or dirty, and what type of shoe are they? Saint Laurent's new, unworn shoes are to be seen in this context: with the traces of paint applied, they lose the appeal of the new, but at the same time are upgraded as the shoes of a supposed bohemian of the artist class. Ironically, the 'patterning' of clothing for purposes of distinction found its counterpart on the opening evening of the "Private Means" exhibition on January 29, 2016: by chance, a Lions Club had rented the Kunsthalle café adjacent to the Kunsthalle studio space for a dinner. The clash between visitors to Paratore's exhibition and the members led to absurd scenes. The artist himself was scrutinized by a member and identified as a non-member on the basis of his clothing. He was told to please leave now, as he and his friends had rented the café and wanted to spend the evening undisturbed.

The information sheets on display were sprayed with the eau de toilette "Opium", which was first introduced in 1977, so that this fruity, spicy fragrance also filled the exhibition space as an olfactory perceptual experience. The combination of expensive leather shoes with the rather inexpensive fragrance of the same brand reflects the absurdities of branding and desire - not only - in the fashion sector: the big fashion houses achieve the highest sales figures primarily with the perfumes they sell. All those who cannot afford Saint Laurent clothing or shoes have the opportunity to participate in this brand cult through perfume. At the same time, the color-smeared shoes can be understood as a gesture of Paratore's presence, especially as they were placed in a contrapposto: The artist is present through his work. The shoes can also be understood as extended painting, as they form the support for the paint. With this simple gesture, Paratore practiced an extended form of institutional critique, not least because this type of payment of production costs is rather rare in an exhibition venue. In keeping with Friedrich Theodor Vischer's quote, the doors of the exhibition room were only half open: "The thesis is: one must not open the door even a crack wide to cynicism, otherwise the broad crudeness will inexorably and unpredictably widen the gap and penetrate en masse. Antithesis: If the door is inexorably closed, it becomes so boring in the room, indeed such a perfumed moral stifling air is created, that it is unbearable." The members of the Lions Club used to be among themselves on the opening evening. They did not enter the room of Paratore's exhibition.

Hendrik Bündge