Purgatoire (2013)
MIXED TECHNIQUE
Gideon Kiefer shapes his Purgatoire as a place on earth: a gray prison cell. Above the door - where traditionally a cross or the image of a king hangs - is a self-portrait of the artist. On the other walls, Kiefer depicts forms of darkness and horror in small works. In stark contrast to that series of drawings is a beautifully lit white sculpture on a pedestal in the center of the room. It looks like Atlas, which, under the artist's watchful eye, keeps trying to lift the globe. In this way, Kiefer takes full advantage of the layers of meaning of his title. For the French word “purgatoire” can be translated not only as “purgatory,” in the teological sense, but also figuratively as “place or time of trial, penance.