Ether Body

In occult philosophy, the ether-body is a term for the special energy that radiates from the body. Its aura. This makes Claus Carstensen’s choice of title, Ether Body, all the more ironic: in the collage painting, the artist consistently opposes the idea of the exalted, indestructible work of art. He quite literally pisses on it. In addition to the artist’s urine, the canvas has been doused with substances like asphalt varnish and lubricating grease for machinery. Carstensen has also stapled and glued foam rubber scraps onto the piece. Hanging down limply, they counteract the upward thrust of the work’s format. What is more, foam rubber has a short lifespan: it discolours and crumbles when exposed to sunlight. Carstensen deliberately chose perishable materials. Ether Body was made to turn to dust in a museum. Indeed, it has undergone a steady process of decay since SMK acquired the work in 1987 – until, that is, it received a much-needed restoration in 2019, undertaken by the museum’s conservators in collaboration with Carstensen. Thus, the work of art intended to undermine the idea of the eternal value of art has itself been put on life support (50 Favorites in the SMK Collection).