Do you have strong beliefs you would never give up? Do they help you? Do they make you a better human?
How much, exactly, set in your ways are you?
These are the questions that come to mind after viewing Cuno Sauerteig’s mildly whimsical but essentially philosophical performance.
“Kopferl im Beton” marked the first evening of the opening of DAF Frankfurt 2024, inviting us to re-examine our egotistical ways and open our solid, invisible helmets to what is new and different.
Cuno Sauerteig Collages and Sculpture
Battling the Chaos Within and Out
Austrian artist Cuno Sauerteig is somewhat of a mysterious figure. He denies being an artist and insists on being solely a reactor to the present occurrences. He uses an alias and refuses to leave this role.
This makes his work partly situational, but in essence, he is a mirror — a communicator and a commentator of the present state of humanity.
The overly abundant imagery of his collages, combined with the laconic poems he writes, tells us that language lies at the very core of his art. He plays with words and metaphors, visual and verbal. Using familiar and found pictures of old typewriter keys, bones, faces, or animals, he creates a chaotic world through which we can take a glimpse of the truth. We are in chaos, and the chaos is in our heads.
A similar chaos emanates from his sculptures, made with found materials or rendered wood, pieces that continue to grow, as artist never considers them completely finished. They are expressive, and a little monstrous, just like the disarray they are stemming from.
His works, made in color or a monochromatic juxtaposition of layers, are a metaphorical preface of the ultimate message carried by his body-based performance.
Cuno Sauerteig Sculpture
Are You a Cement Head?
The idea of having a cemented head or a concrete head appears both in Western and Eastern cultures, particularly Japanese. Still, they both carry the same meaning – having a concrete head means either being painfully stubborn or set in your own ways, unwilling to move, budge, or change.
Starting from the idea that we are far too self-obsessed, Sauerteig devised a performative piece named “Kopferl im Beton” — “Head in Concrete,” in which he assumes the role of a regular citizen who willingly lies on the floor and covers his head in a quick-drying concrete, adorning it with a piece of light steel armature.
Re-enacted at the opening of the Discovery Art Fair in Frankfurt, the spectacle happens spontaneously, and the public is both in awe and worried about how it will play out. After all, it’s not safe, even with all the precautions.
Cuno Sauerteig pours concrete on his head
Performance by Cuno Sauerteig – Photo by Holger Peters
As we wait about 10 minutes for the concrete to dry, we wonder if the man beneath is OK, what is wrong with him, and how he will get out.
But, an experienced performer, he stands up, takes on his wheelbarrow with a symbolically cut-off boar’s head, and strolls around for a little bit through the art fair. Like it was nothing. Like we all do.
The piece ends when Sauerteig takes a hammer, breaks up the concrete sticking to his head, and releases himself from this terrible trap. The hammer is sharp, and he could be injured.
In the end, he is released, and the viewers are relieved.
Still, we are left to wonder if we are like this man — covering our heads with our own personal concerns, not seeing anything outside of it, cutting our heads and offering them up like we are game, and refusing to break the mold because it is painful and a risk.
Cuno Sauerteig – Breaking the concrete
Cuno Sauerteig – The aftermath of the performance
With this body art vignette, Cuno Sauerteig hits the mark of what contemporary humans think about and highlights the importance of society and the collective.
It’s a social statement and an invitation to leave our small selves behind and start communicating again.
Will we listen?
Cuno Sauerteig at DAF Frankfurt
Cuno Sauerteig is exhibiting his collages and sculptures at the DAF Frankfurt, live until November 3, 2024.