Ludwig Candy (2017)
Nasir Malekijoo (Iran)
A painted, red-blooded sculpture of German art historian Ludwig Justi, featuring an oversized head and a handle reminiscent of a giant lollipop, strides wildly through the streets of Berlin and the gallery as part of the 3rd Berliner Herbstsalon. This work not only captures the absurdity of scale and form but also evokes deep historical resonance. Justi, a prominent art historian, curator, and monument conservator, served as director of the National Gallery during a tumultuous period, and the sculpture’s exaggerated features playfully yet pointedly reference the weight of his legacy. The lollipop-like handle introduces an ironic twist, juxtaposing childhood whimsy against the serious historical and political realities of both Nazi Germany and the GDR era, when art, memory, and ideology were tightly intertwined. Through this lens, the sculpture becomes a meditation on past and present: the tension between historical reverence and contemporary interpretation, and the ways memory is both preserved and distorted. The bold red coloring of the figure—extending down to its shins—symbolizes both the madness inherent in obsession and the fervent love for artistic practice, bleeding into the night as the sculpture moves through Berlin’s streets. Each step, each encounter with its absurdity, invites viewers to confront the contradictions of history, the ironies of politics, and the enduring vitality of art itself.
