If youve been wondering what ever happened to Kurt Cobains stolen ashes, it seems they may have found their way to an Australian artist, who now plans to smoke them.
Though its not certain artist Natascha Stellmach possesses the allegedly stolen remains, she does claim to have acquired some of the late Cobains remains, according to Art World magazine, and has transformed them into a five-part installation she calls Set Me Free. Stellmachs exhibition, which investigates suicide and the power of desecration, is currently at the Wagner + Partner gallery in Berlin and at its close she says the ashes will go up in smoke, literally.
When asked by Art World how she came to have Cobains ashes, Stellmach replied: "Thats confidential and kind of magic. They came to me.
Now, whether Stellmach is simply taking the piss for the sake of art and a bit of publicity is up for debate. Nevertheless, she is pretty serious about using human remains as a medium.
Set Me Free comprises of what she describes as a "death cycle of five pieces. First it comes as a sound piece, titled It Is Black in Here, which was written and read by the artist and spins on a record player placed in the gallery. Next is a text-based piece called Near Death Experience, with two more works, Black Scan and Untitled, building to the final piece, Gone. Its here at the end that Stellmach holds Cobains alleged ashes in a black box.
When the exhibition comes to a close on October 11, she says she then plans to smoke the boxs contents at a secret Berlin location to release Cobain "into the ether from the media circus.
Here at the office, we cant decide which fate is worse for Cobain: being smoked by some outlandish artist or being held in a pink teddy bear bag.
Though its not certain artist Natascha Stellmach possesses the allegedly stolen remains, she does claim to have acquired some of the late Cobains remains, according to Art World magazine, and has transformed them into a five-part installation she calls Set Me Free. Stellmachs exhibition, which investigates suicide and the power of desecration, is currently at the Wagner + Partner gallery in Berlin and at its close she says the ashes will go up in smoke, literally.
When asked by Art World how she came to have Cobains ashes, Stellmach replied: "Thats confidential and kind of magic. They came to me.
Now, whether Stellmach is simply taking the piss for the sake of art and a bit of publicity is up for debate. Nevertheless, she is pretty serious about using human remains as a medium.
Set Me Free comprises of what she describes as a "death cycle of five pieces. First it comes as a sound piece, titled It Is Black in Here, which was written and read by the artist and spins on a record player placed in the gallery. Next is a text-based piece called Near Death Experience, with two more works, Black Scan and Untitled, building to the final piece, Gone. Its here at the end that Stellmach holds Cobains alleged ashes in a black box.
When the exhibition comes to a close on October 11, she says she then plans to smoke the boxs contents at a secret Berlin location to release Cobain "into the ether from the media circus.
Here at the office, we cant decide which fate is worse for Cobain: being smoked by some outlandish artist or being held in a pink teddy bear bag.
