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| Friedrichsplatz Kassel Parkhaus |
Marta Minujín, documenta 14, and Frankfurter Buchmesse cordially invite the public, publishers, and authors to donate books for the artwork The Parthenon of Books and thereby become part of the work.
The Parthenon of Books by artist Marta Minujín is a decisive
symbol of resistance to any banning of writings and the persecution of their
authors. As many as 100,000 formerly or currently banned books from all over
the world are needed to create the work on Friedrichsplatz in Kassel (photo), where, on
May 19, 1933, some 2,000 books were burned by the Nazis during the so-called
“Aktion wider den undeutschen Geist” (Campaign against the Un-German Spirit).
In 1941, the Fridericianum—which was being used as a library at the time—was
engulfed in flames during an Allied bombing attack, and another collection of
about 350,000 books was lost.
The installation The
Parthenon of Books will be constructed as a replica of the temple on
the Acropolis in Athens, symbolizing the aesthetic and political ideals of the
first democracy.
Minujín’s The Parthenon of Books traces its
origins to an installation titled El Partenón de libros, which was
realized in 1983, shortly after the collapse of the civilian-military government
in Argentina, and presented the books that had been banned by the ruling junta.
After five days of exhibition, two cranes tipped the installation slightly to
one side, allowing visitors to remove the books and take them home. She will
allow the same thing to happen this time.
Everyone is invited to
support the realization of the artwork with donated books. Between October 19
and 23, 2016, documenta 14 will be a guest at the Agora of the Frankfurter
Buchmesse in order to collect book donations. Your contributions toward the
collection of 100,000 books are very important for the realization of this
work. Beyond the timeframe of the Frankfurter Buchmesse you are very welcome to
send books via mail to Athens or Kassel or drop them off in person.
You can also watch the video by clicking on the Play Button
