Es geht um die wurst 1992

Editor: So, here we have Jimmie Durham's "Es geht um die wurst," created in 1992. It's a mixed-media sculpture, incorporating wood and other materials. It gives off a really unsettling vibe... What’s your take on this piece? Curator: Let’s start with what jumps out. This is clearly constructed. Notice the crude joinery, the exposed tripod legs, and the deliberate use of seemingly discarded wood scraps. The "making" is laid bare. How do you think that impacts the reading of the piece? Editor: It definitely makes it feel less…precious, maybe? More raw, less idealized. Curator: Precisely. Consider also the title; the literal translation being, “It's all about the sausage.” Is this an assertion about value and labor, or consumerism? The small framed photograph, held delicately by the figure – does that amplify or counter that message? What kind of material realities do sausages evoke? Editor: Food as a basic commodity... It’s also such a mundane phrase. The deliberate roughness juxtaposed with the title feels like a comment on everyday life, how even the most ordinary objects carry weight. Curator: How do you see Durham challenging the traditional distinctions between art and craft, high and low culture, through these choices in materiality and production? The materials point to a kind of brutal honesty. Editor: It almost feels like a conscious act of deconstruction. By showing the seams, Durham highlights the act of creation itself, emphasizing that art isn't divinely inspired, but something made through labor and readily available materials. Curator: And how the artist embeds personal narratives, both cultural and individual, within that framework. Looking closely, what do we think he wants us to consider about labor, material, and meaning here? Editor: This really has opened my eyes to how much the materiality and the process behind a work can contribute to its meaning. I see a political statement on consumerism and maybe a little humour that uses basic materials and labour to talk about our consumer needs and desires!