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A Lapidarium of Things - Origins and Replicas using the Example of a Lapidarium

 

In the current art discourse, contemporary art often has much more in common with the so-called old masters: then, as now, it is produced in workshops that work on it; it is not the hand that counts, but the artist's idea alone. In today's discourse there is much talk about originality and whether objects should be replaced by replicas, which are easily possible thanks to current technologies.

 

Lapidariums have always included this phenomenon only in the exact opposite sense. A "Lapidarium" is originally a term for a collection of stone works (lapis = Latin for stone) which, depending on the location, includes very different objects (e.g. sculptures, sarcophagi, epitaphs, milestones, gravestones,...). However, modern lapidaries often present themselves as depots which are only partially accessible to the public. Here is usually the original - the copies replace here the translocated originals, often in the public space either replaced or removed (e.g. if politically no longer wanted).

 

I would like to examine various existing lapidaries and collections, starting with the "Lapidarium of Kings" in Copenhagen, and compare their similarities and differences to classical museums, as well as the meaning of the terms origin, stone, monument, memory, and layering, and relate them to contemporary art. Furthermore, I will also deal with the field of tension between sculpture, body and space.I would like to answer the following questions: Why are originals replaced by copies? Is a Lapidarium a sacred space, a graveyard of stones or an exhibition space? What is the link to the city or the objects? Why are lapidaries often in repositories and what new possibilities do they offer?

 

In the second part I will present a concept for a fictitiously-subjectively selected and specially curated “Lapidarium” exhibition that spans a wide range of "lapidary" objects.

 

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