des Archives (présence d’absence),

Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, 2018

The archive project conceived by Mischa Kuball (présence d’absence in the context of the exhibition ‘Akademien (working title)’ seals off the Kunsthalle and Kunstverein building, rendering it inaccessible. This effectively closes the door on 50 years of exhibition practice, history, and biographical and artistic inscriptions on and in the building: Gerhard Richter's mirror, Joseph Beuys' hole to the stove pipe, the red line as a trace of James Lee Byars' performance—everything seems sealed and inaccessible in the archive. The intervention planned for the front of the building could only be implemented conceptually, as a simulation and idea for the location on Grabbeplatz. The result is a stack of 500 DIN-A-Null posters that can be taken away free of charge, transferring the idea from the Kunsthalle to public and private spaces.

Mischa Kuball transfers the idea of the re-enactment and/or implementation of the idea of the archive (présence d'absence) to the collection of the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf.