In the year of 1848 Josef Radetzky, field marshal of the Austro-Hungarian empire, subjugated the Italian armies at Santa Lucia (May 6th), Curtatone (May 29th), Vicenza (June 11th), Palmanova (June 25th), and Custoza (July 23th–25th). The very same year Johann Strauss I composed a cheerful military march dedicated to the field marshall and his victories. It is still being played and danced to.
The title “The Radetzky March«”is thus referring to the marshal Joseph Radetzky and his military exploits, and also to the book by Joseph Roth about the demise of the said empire. One could see the images as a deconstruction of power, or of the patriarchal world, but also in Freudian terms, as a deconstruction of the ego. I can almost see the pedestals dancing awkwardly to the merry march.
The images have been stripped of the mighty, that actually stand on the pedestals. All images were taken in 2017, in the former capitol of the empire, Vienna. They are shot in color, printed on transparent, monochrome film, then cut out, using scissors and scalpel, and scanned. The final retouching and coloring was done digitally. When printed and exhibited the idea is for the prints to be rather imposing, the size of an average human.
The working title for the series was an aphorism by the Polish writer S. J. Lec:
“When smashing monuments, save the pedestals—they always come in handy.”
The South African writer Ivan Vladislavic has written the following about the images:
“These pedestals, from which men of power and substance have just fallen, stand ready to be reoccupied. The pretenders are kicking their heels nearby.”
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