Alabasterqipo 1919

Curator: Here we have an unassuming yet historically rich object titled "Alabasterqipo," manufactured by W. Buchner in Munich, 1919. Editor: It has such a clinical austerity to it. A jar of powder, and a color checker card. Stark, almost unsettling in its simplicity. Curator: It speaks volumes about the standardization and industrialization of artistic materials in the early 20th century. Consider the chemist as an artist-adjacent role. Editor: I see the ghostly presence of the First World War—the label's handwriting invoking both a scientific rigor and the specter of mass death and its aftermath on artistic production. What did this powder enable, and who had access to it? Curator: Absolutely. This object highlights the often-overlooked intersection between art, science, and the socio-political climate. Editor: Makes you rethink what we consider art, doesn’t it? Everything is connected.