We are happy to announce the launch of a new edition by Martin Maeller, created on the occasion of our upcoming show CCCCCOMA Chapel. I guess I die another day.

Foster Care consists of a Monstera adansonii plant and a mini marble tombstone on a stick with engraved eyes. Originating from subtropical South America, the fast growing plant is popular in households around the world. Its perforated leaves evoke a funny, almost surreal atmosphere reminiscent of a Tim Burton movie. The combination of the decorative miniature tombstone and the Monstera recalls a compact version of an exotic urban cemetery, an ambivalent cosmos of its own, casually opposing growing life and decay. The tombstone’s eyes refer to the Eye of Horus, an ancient symbol of protection, often found on Egyptian funerary steles. Here, the remote appearance of the eyes, with their teary, anxious, or obsessed looks, do not suggest sympathy or protection. It rather emanates eeriness and cute melancholy. Foster Care becomes a unique place of remembrance that allows moments of humor, love and levity on the one hand and fear, panic or alienation on the other.

Martin Maeller
Foster Care, 2020
Monstera adansonii, marble, aluminium
Dimensions variable
(plant: ca. 45x15x15 cm, mini tombstone: ca. 8x5x1,2 cm)
Edition of 10, each unique
180 Euro

The edition launch will take place in the basement of the funeral chapel at Neuer St. Jacobi Friedhof (Hermannstraße 99-105, 12051 Berlin) in Neukölln. Pre-orders can be made via e-mail: contact@cccccoma.com. Each piece is unique, first come, first serve! 🙂

Entitled “The Sound of Silence”, the launch night will also feature a sound piece by Leipzig based artist Elena LottiAstolfi. Inspired by the idea of chorus in the Greek theatre, Chorus is a sonic element that fills the room with low frequencies composed by layers of “silences”: various recordings of quiet places have been repeatedly overlaid and amplified by a synthesiser to create this dull, booming yet subtle chorus that appears and disappears at irregular intervals.

When the cemetery closes at 8 pm we will take our launch party to Zart Daneben which is located just next to Schmidt Grabmale (Hermannstraße 99, 12051 Berlin).