Spazio Pulpo

GEGEN DEN STRICH

The second Group-Exhibition at Spazio Pulpo refered to the novel "À rebours" by J.K. Huysmanns.
In this edition the show included works of breadedEscalope, chmara.rosinke, Patrick Rampelotto and also Klemens Schillinger.


À rebours - Joris-Karl Huysmans
(written by Catherine Lemieux)

À rebours (translated as Against the Grain. The English title of the book is "Against Nature") is the title of a novel of J.K. Huysmans which offers a grandiose and grotesque resistance to the appalling power of mediocrity. It was first issued in 1884, at a time when the bourgeoisie had decisively risen and when the last of the aristocrats in their salons were lamenting the degeneration of mankind. “Everything is syphilis!” cries Jean Des Esseintes, the novel’s exuberant protagonist. This man of exquisite taste wants to be saved from the plague, yet he distrusts every helper, whether other people or God. So he turns instead to artefacts, music and literature. Far away from the plebs of Paris, in his countryside house, he indulges in numerous delicate perversions, no- tably the creation of a décor that suits his fabulous personality. Nothing is left to the caprice of nature. Every colour must be opulent, every fur- niture must be ingenious, every object has to be rare, and the minutest action must be turned into an experience. Frenetically looking for a new fix of fantasy, Des Esseintes grows thin and fragile as a string, ever more ready to be stricken, vibrating with spasms of joy at every artificial thrill he can feel. Thoroughly intoxicated by art, the body of this unorthodox martyr is transformed into a cultural monument and an insult to nature. Des Esseintes is the total designer as well as an extreme embodiment of the misfit. This exhibition revives his rebellious spirit by displaying exhil- arating ideas, luxurious obsessions and splendid wit.