The exhibition “Antik Stübchen Nachwort” (House Clearance Counter Culture) opened at Villa Schöningen in Potsdam in May 2024.
Christian Jankowski commissioned “Rümpelwelt” (Junk World), a household clearance company, to transport the remaining objects to be cleared from Harald and Larissa Falckenberg’s apartment in Hamburg to Potsdam. Rümpelwelt then sorted the objects according to their future destination—vintage furniture store, antiquarian shop, donations, recycling center, and so on—and arranged them in the exhibition space. Light boxes complement these groups of objects and echo the aesthetic and style of junk stores. Advertising slogans are interwoven with Falckenberg’s text headings.
The accompanying video work documents the objects’ journey, focusing on the narratives and subjective experiences of the “Rümpelwelt” (Junk World) employees. In an additional narrative thread, quotes from Falckenberg’s writings on art and collecting are recited by various junk dealers in their shops. They transcend their professional identity by assuming the role of the art collector. The result is a surreal moment. Falckenberg’s philosophy of collecting, his attitude to art and his humor are all continued in Jankowski’s artistic “afterword.”
Excerpt from a text written by curator Sonia González