“I was a stranger and you took me in”, a quote from the Gospel of St. Matthew, is written in gold letters in the languages German, English, Turkish and Arabic on the 16.20 metre high obelisk on Königsplatz as a humanist message. The obelisk is a work by Olu Oguibe, who keeps dealing with flight and migration in different ways in his art and created the obelisk for documenta 14 in Kassel.
Many of the citizens have expressed a wish for the obelisk to stay in Kassel. The city of Kassel has taken this as an opportunity to work with the artist Olu Oguibe to prepare a fundraising campaign for the acquisition of the work as a permanent outdoor artwork for Kassel and for its preservation. This would mean that the work would be part of a series of sixteen installations which have represented past documenta exhibitions within the city of Kassel since 1977.
The new thing about this case is the joint appeal for donations by the city of Kassel and the artist to raise the total purchase amount of 600,000 euros. Citizens are invited to participate in the preservation of the obelisk in Kassel with their donations and thus to make it possible for the obelisk to remain in Kassel.
An enhancement for the cultural heritage of the documenta city
With regard to the issues realised in the obelisk artwork, Olu Oguibe explained: “The Obelisk was specially made for Kassel and for the public square where it stands. It is not based on politics but rather on the history of the city as a welcoming place, and on the simple human values that we all aspire to. Hospitality and gratitude are not political issues. The obelisk is also a unique work of art that further enriches the cultural legacy of the documenta city and the daily social interactions of citizens. It’s unlike any other work that has come to Kassel in the recent past.”
And concerning the reactions to his work, he remarked: “I’m honored that it has touched many people on a deep, human level. I’m also very happy that the majority have expressed a strong wish for it to stay. I obviously share that wish. Since the end of documenta, other towns and cities have expressed a desire to acquire the obelisk, including neighboring towns in the region, but I’ve always insisted that the obelisk was made for the people of Kassel and Königsplatz. Now, we need to pool resources together, and I encourage everyone to do their utmost best, and help us do whatever can be done to keep the obelisk in Kassel.”
An artwork which is representative of documenta 14
The Head of Kassel’s Department of Culture, Susanne Völker, commends the artwork and its effect in Kassel: “Every documenta leaves its mark in the minds of the people and on the cityscape of Kassel. documenta 14 was characterised by a political curatorial concept which consciously focussed on contemporary global issues. In view of this, the obelisk by the New York artist Olu Oguibe was the work from d14 to be awarded the Arnold Bode Prize. The work deals with the themes of flight and exile and, with its humanist message ‘I was a stranger and you took me in’, relates to the population of the city of Kassel, the guests and new arrivals to our city in an exciting way. It is deliberately not a centrally positioned symbol of power, but is instead a symbol and a location in the midst of busy activity.”
Commitment and support from the population is necessary for the purchase
At the same time, she pointed out that a purchasing committee employed by the city of Kassel proposes the purchase of representative artworks for the city’s collection after every document, but not outdoor artworks. Even in the past, the purchase of these works was only possible with the commitment and support of the population and businesses of Kassel. “Many people have campaigned on behalf of the obelisk. Olu Oguibe’s obelisk is a prize-winning artwork which is representative of documenta 14. It is received a lot of individual praise and attention, as well as political controversy. In many respects, this justifies the efforts to keep the obelisk in Kassel.”
If the fundraising target is not achieved
As the Head of the Department of Culture Völker explained, the agreement with Olu Oguibe also allows for the possibility that the fundraising target will not be achieved. In this case, it will be up to the artist whether he would like to accept the sum which has been achieved after a period of three months. “If he does not accept this price and the obelisk is not purchased, all the donors will get their money back. Thus, Olu Oguibe consciously faces up to a transparent civic decision regarding the purchase of his artwork,” says Head of the Department of Culture Völker.
Donations account has been set up
The donations can be transferred to the following account:
Kassel documenta Stadt
IBAN: DE16 5205 0353 0000 0110 99
BIC: HELADEF1KAS
As this fundraising campaign has the intention of returning the donations in the event that the obelisk is not purchased, we request the following information: purpose of donation: Obelisk plus the name of the donor or the company and the precise address.
Press and PR
presse@kassel.de
Tel 0049 (0)561 787 1231
Fax 0049 (0)561 787 87
Rathaus, 34112 Kassel
www.stadt-kassel.de
Press officer: Claas Michaelis
Press officer for culture: Petra Bohnenkamp