Two stoves are placed in the exhibition space. They are connected by black stove pipes that cut across the space as a large geometric line. The walls are hung with images of political and social content found on the internet and digitally alte-red. For the opening, Haus am Gern lit both stoves simultaneously until the space is filled with smoke, the pictures become invisible, and finally the public flees into the open air.

The title HIBK refers to a trope in popular literature, whereby the protagonist laments his own actions in relation to a misfortune, claiming in retrospect: “Oh, had I but known!”.

HIBK(Had I But Known)

2008GRAND PALAIS (Bern, 2008)

SUBSTITUT (Berlin, 2008)STANDARD /DELUXE (Lausanne, 2010)

Performance and installation with two round iron stoves, 50 meters of stove pipe, and K3-pigmentprints A3,

framed, numbers variable.

Credits

Hosts

GRAND PALAIS, BernChantal Meng, Sven Weber, Juliane Wolski

SUBSTITUT, BerlinRaum für aktuelle Schweizer Kunst, Urs Küenzi

STANDARD/DELUXE, LausanneVirginie Otth, Nicolas Savary, Tilo Steireif

Material

Potbelly stove ‘Karl’Ofendiscount, Werneuchen (D)

Stove pipeBertrams-Sabu AG, Laufen

HIBK(Had I But Known)

GRAND PALAIS (Bern, 2008)

STANDARD/DELUXE (Lausanne, 2010)

GRAND PALAIS (Bern, 2008)

SUBSTITUT (Berlin, 2008)