Conceptual Art as "Cuckoo's Egg": a wall inscription becomes an unexpected gift

All of a sudden, it was simply there: "Antje Seeger – Namedropping, Beginning July 2, 2014," in large, gray letters, a conspicuous presence on a wall of the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen. Out of nowhere, a proverbial “cuckoo's egg” had been laid on the wall where the annual exhibition program was posted, in identical gray letters, for the benefit of passersby – no one had ordered it, no one had planned it. Antje Seeger, a mysterious, unknown figure in the annual schedule of the Kunstsammlung?

#32 goes in search of motives and backgrounds for this enigmatic inscription.

Of service here once again were the accommodating powers of the search engine: circling in virtual orbit and bearing the name Antje Seeger (alongside a specialist in Islamic studies, a nursing service, and a psychologist) was an artist bearing whose website, in all of its terse austerity, suggests an orientation toward Conceptualism. The cell phone number provided by the site facilitates further investigation from Düsseldorf: Antje Seeger (32) hails from Dresden. She explains her guerrilla intervention on the museum wall: “I ate a sandwich on the bank opposite, and thought myself – it goes right there.” Since 2008, she has pursued the concept of “appending things to public spaces and museums,” and moreover always when “a project and a place seem right for one another.” Most recently, she “added” a plaque with title to a wall of the Tate in London, but as yet, there has been no reaction from the world-renowned gallery. In fact, the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen is “the first institution that has contacted her – which is really great,” comments the artist.

Of course, Seeger explains, she had her undercover action – which was accompanied by a powerful of attack of jitters for fear of discovery – videotaped by a “collaborator.” So far she has attracted the attention of the police only once, when she effaced the lane markings on Dresden’s hotly contested Waldschlösschen Bridge. The insertion of the title “Namedropping” among the heavy hitters announced in the program of the regional gallery of North Rhine-Westphalia conveys a gentle critique (“but with a wink, and nicely!”) concerning the all too frequent absence of younger artists in the exhibitions of major museums.

To the question whether her adhesive artwork should be the concern of conservators, should be preserved for posterity, Antje Seeger replies candidly: “I'm not interested in eternity, it was created for the moment.” Of course, she is prepared to provide a certificate of authenticity bearing a “genuine signature” for the work, this unsolicited donation.

The response of the Kunstsammlung – which wanted to spare visitors the frustration of searching for the fictive “Namedropping” exhibition – was instantaneous. An utterly nonsensical yellow label announces that her show has been “extended until January 26, 2014.” The artist feels she has been understood: “How marvelous, I really like that.”