Case in Barcelona ZOO, Video, 2015
Barcelona robbery
In July 2015, Marika and Anton stood on the Barcelona Zoo lawn, eyeing the palm trees’ tops. It was night. We were naked because we had been smeared with medicine gel, standing with legs and arms apart to dry; their bodies looked shining. It was a moment before the irrigation system was about to turn on, of which Anton and Marika had no idea: fountains of water in the dark would rush on them in half a second. Artists have not noticed that they were spied on from the bushes by those who would steal all their things a few minutes later.
Photodocumentation, July 2015
Photodocumentation, July 2015
Photodocumentation, July 2015
As it turned out later, this arena was built in honor of the memory of trans woman Sonya Zafra, who was murdered here by a group of neo-Nazis 24 years before.
Artists were stuck that summer in Barcelona without money. Besides, they had to cure scabies. That night in the zoo, they undressed, smeared with special gel on each other, and were waiting for it to absorb into the skin. The summer was hot, and when the automatic irrigation system started to work, they and their things got wet instantly. They hung clothes on the trees around the brightly lit empty dance arena and climbed onto it. Artists had a large roll of paper with them; began to paint it with ink and palm leaves. Were they robbed already?
Yes indeed!
The list of stolen things:
01. The Nepal thin brush
02. China brushes for calligraphy
03. Fishing bells
04. Perfume
05. Keys from the Moscow flat
06. MacBook Air
07. Knitted top from Goa
08. Leggings from Venice china shop
09. Pink folder with copies of “Common body.”
10. “Magic mold attacks Paris”, collage on a map
11. Rental contract of a studio in Dresden
11. Marika’s new diary
12. Gift for mother
13. Jewelry: golden chain, copper bracelet, one ring with diamonds, another ring with moonstone, ankle bracelet, pearl necklace, chain with the turquoise turtle
14. Sandals
15. Folder with copies: Rosalind Krauss. Die Originalität der Avantgarde und andere Mythen der Moderne.
16. Herbarium
02. China brushes for calligraphy
03. Fishing bells
04. Perfume
05. Keys from the Moscow flat
06. MacBook Air
07. Knitted top from Goa
08. Leggings from Venice china shop
09. Pink folder with copies of “Common body.”
10. “Magic mold attacks Paris”, collage on a map
11. Rental contract of a studio in Dresden
11. Marika’s new diary
12. Gift for mother
13. Jewelry: golden chain, copper bracelet, one ring with diamonds, another ring with moonstone, ankle bracelet, pearl necklace, chain with the turquoise turtle
14. Sandals
15. Folder with copies: Rosalind Krauss. Die Originalität der Avantgarde und andere Mythen der Moderne.
16. Herbarium
Things remained after the robbery
So it turns out that the sharpest and most precise observations objectify the most paltry artifacts. The events of that night still set the scale for our work. We are stretched between a spatial body and the event in the dance arena's space, addicted to the game, while someone taking our things. MARIKA KRASINA
The Things exhibition
In August 2015, M&A recreated the details of their robbery in Barcelona. Dresden's exhibition consisted of the Index of stolen things, left things, a few scraps of magazines found on a street in Barcelona with thoughtful titles, a giant scroll of calligraphy, photo and video documents, and graffiti on the wall.
The Things exhibition view, EX14, Dresden, 2015
Work executes a symbolic return to the enigmatic circumstances of the robbery night. A pink hammock, mosquito net, and a big piece of black silk were the only possessions left after the robbery because they were hanging around on the trees to dry.
The Things exhibition view, EX14, Dresden, 2015