Guest of the ilb 2005
Thomas Kapielski was born in Berlin-Charlottenburg in 1951. He studied Geography, Philosophy and Music Theory and as an artist, musician, performer and author belonged to West Berlin’s bohemian scene. He transformed himself from secret tip to cult author with the book »Davor kommt noch. Gottesbeweise IX-XIII« (1988; Engl: Before is Still to Come: Proof of God's Existence IX-XIII) and »Danach war schon. Gottesbeweise I-VIII« (1999; Engl: Afterwards has Already Been: Proof of God's Existence I-VIII). In 1999 he was awarded the Ben Witter Prize and the Sprengel Prize for Fine Arts. Its jury recognised him as a »universal, philosophical intellect, a rogue with baroque wit and ingenuity, who laconically captures the unobtrusive madness of everyday life and does not give a damn about genre boundaries.«
Kapielski’s anarchic word artistry could already be heard in the title of his work »Einfallspinsel = Ausfallspinsel« (1987; Engl: Tangle of Incidence = Tangle of Reflexion), and in »Nach Einbruch der Nüchternheit« (1996; Engl: After Soberness Falls), both typical examples of his deliberately silly puns, with which he eludes every kind of general statement, moral etiquette and modish trend. As in the »Proof of God's Existence«, Kapielski’s effortlessly composed tirades of nonsense are fraught with witty references to philosophy, theology and art history. In »Sozialmanierismus. Je dickens destojwski« (2001; Engl: Social Mannerism: The Dickens Thestoyevsky), an educated guess is made: »It may be that for humans the relevant reality holds not the structure of facts but rather of events. This reality therefore cannot be rendered through theses, but rather through – as Aristotle calls it (therefore sublime!) – praxeos mimesis, vulgo through storytelling.« Thus Kapielski's loose sequences crafted from observations of everyday life ironically provide certain insights. The high art of innuendo-filled digressions in the tradition of Jean Paul becomes either an »album of Berlin present« or »pop literature for philosophers« – as critics judged.
Kapielski likes to illustrate his works with his own drawings or black and white photographs. Amongst these, simple as well as grotesque, motifs can be found, for example ashtrays or dustbins. In a different context he screwed a broomstick to a hot water bottle and called it a »problem swatter«. Kapielski has shown his art work in numerous solo and group exhibitions, among them at the Valentin-Musäum in Munich. He has given readings, lectures and shown slide shows at various places abroad, but mainly he has appeared at local places, as with his threatening speech »Eat the rich! Für die Rettung des Minigolf-Biergartens« (Engl: For the Salvation of the Minigolf Beergarden) in Berlin’s Kreuzberg.
His first CD, performed with the »Original Oberkreuzberger Nasenflöten Orchester« (Engl: Original Upper Kreuzberg Nose Flute Orchestra), followed the interactive audio book »Abstehende Röhren« (2002; Engl: Protruding Tubes). Kapielski was Professor at the Art Academy of Braunschweig. He now lives in Berlin.
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