NEVER THE TINNED WEIßWURST: CHRISTIAN GANZENBERG MEETS LUKAS KUBINA

Christian Ganzenberg is the director of Various Others, the contemporary art festival that brings the international art world to Munich each year. For The Dean Munich, he curated a collection of works by local artists that tells the city through personal, imaginary and unexpected stories.

He is in conversation here with Lukas Kubina, writer, publisher and occasional city expert who co-founded Sorry Press and Lit Cities and is editor-in-chief of Apollon Dossier at the Bavarian State Opera.

Who are you and why do you live in Munich? 

Christian Ganzenberg. I love living in Munich because it is one of the best places to come back to. Get out often, and you enjoy it most.

Who is your all time favourite tourist in Munich? 

Marcel Duchamp. I would love to have one of his picture postcards from the Hofbräuhaus in 1912. He spent several months in Munich, where he began working on ideas that would lead to The Large Glass and his radical break with conventional painting. I like the idea that Munich played a small part in turning Duchamp into Duchamp. I have a counterquestion: Which contemporary tourist would you like to give a guided tour through the city?

… maybe Hiroki Azuma. He wrote Philosophy of the Tourist. I can see ourselves pondering in a beer hall. But let me interview you: What about the other side of the coin, do you have an all time favourite inhabitant of this city? 

Alexander Kluge, who is terribly missed. He never stopped asking questions and kept us on our toes until the end. As a filmmaker, writer and public intellectual, he was one of those rare figures who could connect almost anything and make you see it differently. Politics, opera, philosophy, film, astronomy, you name it… In his honour, I have another counterquestion for you: Who would you like to see move to Munich tomorrow?

It’d be nice if Argentinian chef Fernando Trocca opened a comedor here. Or if Julián Álvarez came to Munich, scoring goals for Bayern. Here’s a matchmaker question right back at you: Who should meet again in Munich, dead or alive? 

If I say Karl Valentin, you would say…

…the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. They might not share a sense of humour, but perhaps a certain fascination with architecture and the absurdities of urban life. And Koolhaas is in town quite a bit, not least to enjoy Dantebad, the public outdoor swimming pool with aesthetic remnants from the 1972 Olympics. What if I said Michael Jackson?

Then I would say Michael Ende. For various reasons, I believe they would get along very well — their fascination with childhood, fantasy and parallel worlds, for a start. Maybe they even met…

What is “too soon to say” about Munich?

I'm excited to see what our first Green, gay mayor will do once he settles into office. Munich has many promising ingredients, but we need to stir things up and move forward instead of leaving everything as it has always been. In this environment, art and culture — especially the emerging scene — need support and tailwind to thrive. I just hope there will always be enough space in this city for its avant-garde.

Is there any science fiction that is already happening here?

Isar Aerospace — as of very recently, no longer science fiction — and the works of Ju Young Kim.

Tell us more about her practice.

Ju is an exciting emerging artist from South Korea who studied at the Academy and is still based in Munich. Working mostly in sculpture and installation, she connects disposable hardware of global mobility — the leftovers of a future that has already arrived — with traditional crafts such as stained glass, exploring our transitory state of being. I’m very happy that The Dean has acquired a suspended sculpture for its lobby: an aircraft part from her AEROPLASTICS series.

Which leads us to your curatorial contribution to The Dean Munich, please walk us through.

Inspired by Italo Calvino, I have asked some marvelous local artists — from Veronika Hilger to Martin Fengel, from Ruscha Voormann to Jan Erbelding, from Jieun Park to Boris Saccone — to tell us some “stories” about their city. Together they form a collection of imaginary and personal takes on Munich — so that The Dean Munich is narrated by the artists, rather than about them. Of course such a group is never complete. Who would you have forgotten to invite, Lukas?

Never forget Babi Brüller :) What is your favourite novel that takes place in Munich?

Counter question: Do you know Cerebro Frito by Lukas Kubina?

Isn’t that the story of seven anti-heroes, a tricycle bar and the endless summer of 2015?

Exactly. And although I unfortunately missed that endless summer, it seems to me like a living public art project that deserves a revival.

You are such a charm. Regarding real public art in the city – do you have any recommendations?

Maybe try something a little unusual: you can climb inside the head of the Bavaria statue. Or, for something less adventurous, seek out the foundations of the former Ehrentempel at Königsplatz — and grab a coffee nearby at the beautiful café at the Glyptothek. For more contemporary recommendations, check Filter-Munich.com.

Various Others versus Oktoberfest – what is your number one season in the city?

VO, our Mayfest — definitely more diverse and slightly healthier. Joking aside, Munich has so much to offer culturally all year round that there is never a bad season for it: besides leather fashion and beer culture, there’s opera, theatre and film — and, of course, plenty of contemporary art.

And then there’s the famous Umland, Munich’s surrounding region: North or South - what is your leisure escape route?

Definitely south. It's more scenic, and you could even go by bike. I won't reveal the secret spots — you have to find them yourself!

Finally, what do you recommend as the perfect Munich souvenir?

Never the tinned Weißwurst. A picture postcard from the Hofbräuhaus always travels well — or simply the fond memory of a city you know you will come back to. You know where to stay.

To coincide with the hotel's opening, The Dean Munich will host its first Library Show from Tuesday 15th September, featuring new works by Munich-based artists Ludwig Dressler, Christian Eisenberg, and The Berg.