Diary and Box 1999

Editor: Jörg Schmeisser’s mixed media piece, “Diary and Box” from 1999, strikes me as incredibly dense. The layers of text and imagery create almost a chaotic effect. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The "chaos," as you call it, is fascinating. Consider the diary itself, traditionally a repository for personal memories, feelings. Schmeisser gives us a glimpse, not just of what's inside the box, but what cultural baggage comes with it. It’s a psychological excavation, wouldn’t you say? Editor: That makes sense, especially with how prominent the writing is. Is the writing itself symbolic, even if we can't decipher it? Curator: Absolutely. The indecipherable text is a deliberate choice, a symbol of the inaccessible past. It's a visual representation of lost languages and hidden histories. This box, acting almost as a reliquary, implies that we too box our memories. It prompts the question, what future archaeology awaits within ourselves? Editor: So it's not necessarily about understanding the literal meaning of the text, but more about acknowledging its existence and the cultural weight it carries? Curator: Precisely! It mirrors how we experience history - fragmented, obscured, yet potent with meaning. Are there particular images that call out to you in the central 'box'? Editor: The strange figures… They seem to combine human and animal elements. I keep returning to them, and they definitely give off that feeling of inaccessible pasts. Curator: These could represent distorted dreams, mythological hybrids. They function as an ancestral symbolic memory, surfacing in unpredictable ways to guide or haunt the present. Editor: This makes me rethink how I understand “contemporary.” The use of cultural memory is very thought-provoking. Curator: I’m glad it resonates with you. The dialogue between present and the imprints of the past—that is where so much art reveals meaning.