Many industrial designers have been making a strategic use of an artisanal symbolism into their products by giving mass produced objects the appearance they were handmade. For 2017 Edition of Kunstverein München’s Jaresgaben we reversed it by borrowing the language of an industrial tool, the milling machine and use it for the production of a very small edition of three shelves. As an antithesis, we named the product Industrial Piece.
Those three Industrial Pieces were available for purchase directly at the Kunstverein.
The annual Jahresgaben dates back to the founding of Kunstverein München in 1823, when members received a print each year as part of their membership. Over time, Jahresgaben developed into a group exhibition of work by Munich-based artists and graduates of the Munich Academy. It’s the only moment when the Kunstverein sells artwork and, while the exhibition is open to the public, only our members can purchase the works.
Jahresgaben is an important moment for the Kunstverein, to bring the local contemporary art scene together in Munich, to see and discuss their work, and for our members to support that scene, while also benefiting from the chance to purchase artworks at special prices. As always, 50% of each sale directly supports the artist, 45% supports the Kunstverein, and the remaining 5% goes towards social insurance for artists.