Heavy Mädel

Martin Kippenberger

Info: Clear outlines, filled-in surfaces, and a muted color palette in pastel tones characterize the 52 Heavy Mädel (Heavy Gal) drawings. Created in 1990, they were executed in pencil and oil pastels on stationery from Cologne’s Hotel Chelsea—or their mirrored copies. The collage-like motifs present a sketched retrospective of Kippenberger’s oeuvre. We can discern familiar set pieces from Kippenberger’s paintings, drawings, and sculptures – including many stemming from his 1987 Peter sculptures. We can read the titles of works and exhibitions, names and slogans, and even recognize Kippenberger himself along with a few fellow artists like Jeff Koons and Albert Oehlen. Mixed into this artistic and biographical kaleidoscope, we also find corporate identity logos such as Barbie, BMW, Chanel, and Marlboro, as well as the slogan from a famous band t-shirt that reads I went Crazy with Kiss. Heavy Mädel adopts the strategy of transference, repetition, and transformation employed in the 1989/90 installation Heavy Burschi (Heavy Lad), which was made shortly before, and adapts this approach to a different medium, counterbalancing the earlier works on several levels. Location: Sankt-Apern-Str. 26, 50667 Köln.