KIENHOLZ, Ed

History as a Planter

1961

Paint and resin on metal oven and mannequin parts with metal Jew's Harp, newspaper, wood, plexiglass, tin, Wandering Jew plant, and electrical cord

Feet are history is the message here. They are planted as irrefutable as plants of nature are. We can only know ourselves respecting the feet of history. They might have long toes. It might be humerous, but taken seriously, harmoniously, symmetrical , it is a precious presentation of nature, man and construction, a cabinet of decency without further criticism. It could be merely meant to be fun to see how feet, a cabinet and nature are all in one, where it not modern art. It is planted like a prayer asking to consider this unity of man, nature and the constructed as one, one history as a planter, just the way we have natural time, cultural time and psychological time as one complexity challenging in the postmodern era. And if it is history, is it the present too? Should it be? Or is it also the furture maybe?

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© Time Art Gallery/hall 1