Reinickendorf
Memento vitae
2014
Granite flamed, carved, painted
40cm x 60cm
Since the end of World War I “The unknown soldier” is a common phrase seen on war monuments dedicated to the mass of unidentified, killed soldiers. The wording was first used in France for the grave of an unidentified soldier killed in Verdun.
Drawing on the military memorial, Thilo Droste rephrases the language often used in this context into “To the unknown artist”, thus referring to the strange relationship between fame and anonymity in art history.
Made from carved granite, the object is intended to outlast the ages and to carry forward the question etched onto its surface as to the conditions defining the prevailing notion of the artist. This topic is a fundamental constant that pervades Thilo Droste’s artistic exploration of found materials and situations.
Luisa Heese in „On the potential of circumstances found“ in Thilo Droste. Ego (exhibithion-cat., Kunstverein Augsburg, Snoeck Verlagsgesellschaft, Köln, 2014)