Wunschkasten 2003

Curator: Right now we’re looking at Jürgen Partenheimer’s piece, "Wunschkasten", created in 2003. It's a mixed-media sculpture composed of wood and collage elements. Editor: Three simple boxes… Immediately, the color palette is what strikes me most. The matte textures and the shades of maroon, green, and orange invoke a kind of manufactured optimism. There's something very considered about the presentation of what could have been storage units. Curator: Absolutely. Partenheimer is known for works that exist between sculpture, painting, and drawing, often referencing minimalist aesthetics but incorporating complex philosophical ideas. Thinking about “Wunschkasten” – which translates to "Wishing Chest" – it’s useful to consider the historical context of German Modernism, particularly the Bauhaus movement. These functional, geometric shapes share similarities with Bauhaus design principles, aiming to integrate art with everyday life. Editor: Do you think the "Wishing Chest" alludes to desires within systems? These containers feel institutional, evoking filing cabinets or storage for archives, so perhaps commenting on who gets to realize certain ambitions, and which desires are suppressed? Curator: I think that's a productive line of inquiry. Looking at how structures frame agency. Consider also the rise of consumerism in the early 2000s when this piece was made. Were are our desires manufactured? Are they individual or communal? Each of the colors, too, may hold specific cultural connotations, depending on its exhibition context, drawing attention to the power dynamics inherent in the art world itself. Who determines which “wishes” are valued and exhibited? Editor: I can definitely see it. It certainly provokes consideration of what containers do–the function of archiving dreams, in this case–within larger power structures, as well as who controls them. Curator: Precisely. Partenheimer invites us to question the ideologies embedded within supposedly neutral forms, and to acknowledge art as an active participant in socio-political dialogue. Editor: Ultimately, these modest chests open onto a vast, challenging landscape.