Anselm Kiefer
Art is a journey into our spirituality
«I believe in hope, but not in something that might happen; hope for me is something entirely new. I have no desires, I am open»
An exquisite exhibition, conceived and realized alongside one of the most significant artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. That’s what the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi dedicates from March 22nd to July 21st to Anselm Kiefer, a giant of contemporary art. “Fallen Angels”, this is the poignant title of the exhibition, brings together historical works and new productions, including “Engelssturz” (Fall of the Angel), a large-scale painting created in dialogue with the 15th-century courtyard. Standing seven meters tall, the work is inspired by the passage from the Apocalypse that describes the battle between the archangel Michael and the rebel angels, a metaphor for the struggle between Good and Evil. From here, an intense journey begins that touches the deepest chords of our souls and invites us to reconsider our relationship between the earthly dimension and the spiritual world. The curator of the exhibition and General Director of the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, Arturo Galansino, met Kiefer for a conversation that will be included in the exhibition catalog. We at Say Who have the opportunity to publish an exclusive excerpt from it…
Arturo Galansino:
We are in Croissy, in your studio on the outskirts of Paris, talking about the Palazzo Strozzi exhibition, the preparation of which began five years ago. Many things have happened in this period, the pandemic, a war, and another is starting. We have all changed our perspectives. And you?
Anselm Kiefer :
«I see things in broader terms: humans are poorly constructed. They act in incomprehensible ways: they self-destruct. There have always been wars, everywhere; after World War II, there has always been fighting. Before, they were further from home, but now they are very close. Ukraine is close, and so is Israel, but wars have always been there, they seem endless. Certainly, now I am more affected, but it is not new to me»
Arturo Galansino:
What is your relationship with Italy?
Anselm Kiefer :
«When I had to leave Germany, I immediately looked into Italy. About sixty kilometers from Rome, near Lake Bolsena, I really liked a house that had a fountain in the center with a continuous water jet. It was a perfectly restored house, and I loved it very much. Then I looked in Tuscany, in Chianti, and I found a former pigsty, but, as you can imagine, the area was rather polluted and therefore unsuitable. In another location, there were factories and almost empty houses. However, the property was too large for me. And in the end, perhaps also because I spoke French, I chose France»
Arturo Galansino:
Nature is very important to you and your art; in fact, you often include flowers and seeds (especially sunflowers, poppies) in your works. Has your relationship with nature changed over the years?
Anselm Kiefer :
«I have always seen nature according to the history of man. Nature cannot be painted alone, but according to the times that have passed through it, in the context of historical events such as wars»
Arturo Galansino:
You said: «I can’t see a landscape in which war has left no trace»…
Anselm Kiefer :
«There is no such thing as an innocent landscape. Today landscapes are no longer innocent due to the incessant transformation in urban and industrialized contexts, which inevitably leads to their disappearance»
Arturo Galansino:
Let’s talk about spirituality. You referred to your Catholic education, to the disappointment at the time of your First Communion, to the rebellion against the rigidity imposed by Catholicism…
Anselm Kiefer :
«It happened especially when in 1984 I held an exhibition in Jerusalem, and the director introduced me to the religion and Jewish rituals. I discovered the books of Gershom Scholem, through his fantastic writings on Jewish mysticism. So I approached literature around the Jewish religion and understood that it is much richer than the Catholic one because the Church wants to be triumphant, the Ecclesia Triumphans, which wants to discard anything that is not on a straight line. And so much has been destroyed. I prefer to study the Jewish religion, although I know scholastic philosophy, Anselm of Aosta who in the Monologion tried to prove that God exists. It’s fantastic because it’s not possible to prove it. I was raised in the Catholic Church. All of my family was, you think that in my grandfather’s family, a large family of sixteen children, almost all became priests and nuns. Even my grandfather wanted to become a priest, but on the day he was to be ordained a priest, he ran away and found my grandmother: otherwise, I wouldn’t be here. I was Catholic, and I wanted to become pope, but they explained to me that all popes were Italian, there had never been a German pope at the time, so I couldn’t become pope. I didn’t persevere, but instead, I made a showcase on which I wrote: Und du bist doch nicht Papst geworden (And you didn’t become pope after all)»
Arturo Galansino:
The exhibition welcomes visitors in the courtyard with a gigantic Engelssturz (Fall of the Angel), whose subject is taken from the Apocalypse…
Anselm Kiefer :
«The work explains how Evil arrived in the world and gave rise to Original Sin»
Arturo Galansino:
Why did you want to start the exhibition with this very strong subject? It’s the work that everyone who passes through the courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi will see, even those who won’t visit the exhibition: a very powerful and dramatic image?
Anselm Kiefer :
«For Christians, it’s the beginning of the World, the beginning of Evil. Jews have another explanation. Isaac Luria, a Jewish mystic and theologian from the sixteenth century, wrote that in the beginning, God withdrew, created a free space, and the world formed itself. And this is more intelligent. God poured his grace upon the world, and the world did not accept it»
Arturo Galansino:
Do you consider yourself a pessimist?
Anselm Kiefer :
«Optimist, pessimist are not suitable words for me. I believe in hope, but not in something that might happen; hope for me is something entirely new, indescribable. The pessimist relies on what is already done, the optimist hopes for something that will happen, but I have no desires, I am open»
Arturo Galansino:
Your works always encapsulate very complex meanings, they are imbued with history, philosophy, religion. Do you think a visitor needs a ‘guide’ or do you leave the reception/experience of your work to personal interpretation?
Anselm Kiefer :
«Any approach is fine: with an introduction or according to your own interpretation. Everyone can interpret as they wish, but it is necessary for people to look and start thinking»
Interview: Arturo Galansino
Portraits: Ludovica Arcero
Exhibition photos: Ela Bialkowska OKNO studio
