Art sale Kris Martin for the benefit of the Hippo & Friends type 1 diabetes fund

« Terug naar het overzicht
kris martin ENG

Art sale Kris Martin for the benefit of the Hippo & Friends type 1 diabetes fund

Bio

Kris Martin is a Belgian conceptual visual artist based in Mullem, Belgium. Kris Martin’s work is situated within the traditions of conceptual art and can be described as poetic and contemplative. Through monumental as well as miniature sculpture, drawing, photography, performance and intervention, he often encourages reflection on the notion of time. In the past twenty years, Martin has mainly exhibited internationally at institutions such as the Kunstmuseum Bonn (Germany), Tate Modern (London, England), Centre Pompidou (Paris, France), MoMA PS1 (New York, U.S.), to name but a few. The Belgian public was presented a first retrospective of his intriguing oeuvre at S.M.A.K. Ghent last year.

Life After Death

Kris Martin is offering fifteen ‘Life After Death’ certificates for the benefit of the Hippo & Friends type 1 diabetes fund. In this way, he aims to provide financial support for scientific research into curing diabetes in children and young adults, a disease that he knows the tremendous impact of from personal relationships. These certificates call to mind the medieval practice of indulgences and are issued to guarantee the recipient a life after death. The church offered people forgiveness for their sins and the assurance of a place in heaven in exchange for saying a certain prayer, doing good deeds or simply paying money.

After the purchase of the piece is completed, Kris Martin writes the name of the buyer and sale date on it and signs it. The certificate then becomes an absurd and naive ‘insurance’. It is printed using an old printing press with wooden block letters, creating a rather uneven effect and a graphic design that is not so refined. The work inevitably raises the question of whether there is a life after death. Kris Martin sees every certificate he signs as an invitation to reflect on this question.

Contact

Interested in purchasing one of these exclusive certificates? Tel. +32 16 34 54 23 or email info@hippoandfriends.be. A total of fifteen certificates will be made available at EUR 1,000 per piece.