The Vitrine of Childish Delights

Materials: mixed media (shells, seeds, wood, plastic, and metal), display case. Dimensions: display case 85 × 75 × 25 cm.
b. 1940 Houston, Texas, US; lived and worked in Berlin, Germany and Naples and Rome, Italy; † November, 17, 2021 in Berlin.
Lender: evn collection, Maria Enzersdorf, Austria

Jimmie Durham’s practice encompasses a range of media and techniques: sculptural assemblage, painting, drawing, collage, printmaking, photography, video, performance, and poetry. The work, The Vitrine of Childish Delights, presented for the first time for the Paper, Rock, Scissors exhibition in the foyer of the KinderKunstLabor, shows objects in a display case. Viewed from a distance, they resemble a collection of stuffed animals or similar artifacts. On closer inspection, however, we find plastic forms with metal valves, screws, pocket knives, leather wallets, shells, bowls, and more, which the artist brings to life through his meticulously crafted assemblages. The artist’s choice of materials is inspiring, humorous, and enigmatic. Presented this way, Durham seems to be subtly questioning conventional exhibition displays. What do we exhibit, by whom and from where, for whom, why, and how? In this respect, an examination of Jimmie Durham’s work can lead to a critical questioning of the practice of exhibiting itself: the artist’s exacting formal language playfully stimulates thoughts on the meaning of art and its exhibiting in society. Questions and considerations that are also (to be) discussed regularly at the KinderKunstLabor for contemporary art.

Jimmie Durham’s work The Vitrine of Childish Delights will be on view at the KinderKunstLabor on permanent loan from the evn collection starting March 14, 2025.

Mona Jas