Culture vs. currywurst

I was in my temporary studio/gallery one summer day in the small town in northern Germany where I live. It was a vacant travel agency with big plate glass windows, so the passing tourists and locals and me working had a rather good view of each other. I would watch tourist family after tourist family, pensioner couple after pensioner couple breeze by, hardly sparing my showcase window full of art more than a cursory glance, if that. Usually their hands were full with some sort of food; sausage, a bun or pastry, ice cream. At the time I was reading a book about the artist life in which I read that Germans on average only spend 12 Euro a year to purchase original art, whereas they spend double for a favourite fast food: the “currywurst”, a sausage cut into chunks, then drowned in hot ketchup and strewn with “curry powder”. Feeling a bit frustrated at the lack of appreciation, I decided, well, if they won’t buy my paintings, maybe I can entice them by painting food. I couldn’t resist the dig with the title of “culture nation”, which is actually written on each painting, and I displayed the 6 paintings proudly in the window with a printed little sign bearing the simple information about the 2/1 currywurst/art ratio.

These paintings are colourful and playful eyecatchers with a little ironic thorn that I am convinced would liven up any kitchen or dining room. Real conversation starters.

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