museums and toilets
Painting, photography and performance | 2010
Funded by the Postgraduate Funding of Thuringia
With graduate scholarship funding Steffen Cyrus embarked on a two-week tour of Germany’s museums in 2010. In ten museums of modern art, including the Museum der bildenden Künste in Leipzig, the Kunsthalle Hamburg, the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich and the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, he left two of his artworks behind in the museums’ restrooms.
The purpose of the action was to surprise and bewilder the museum visitors. By displaying works in restrooms, he expanded the exhibition space, as such »unused« areas do not traditionally represent places where art is viewed and enjoyed. He also offered his paintings on canvas to those who agreed to take the works home and send him a photo of their new environment.