New Arrivals: Joachim Koester
From October 28, 2015 — March 27, 2016
This 3-minute 16 mm film was inspired by a hot air balloon expedition led by researcher Salomon August Andrée, who left Norway to journey across the North Pole in 1897. Thirty-three years later, the explorers’ remains were found with a box of negatives that told the story of a crash and an ill-fated three-month trek across the ice.
For his film, Message from Andrée, Danish artist Joachim Koester photographed the negatives filled with black stains, scratches, and streaks of light; those often ignored by historians. The film evokes memories of the tragically optimistic explorers, the forces of time and severe weather conditions physically acting on the film, and the power of photography to reveal otherwise lost moments. Two accompanying lithographs provide additional context about Andrée’s story.
Explore almost 4,000 gifts of art given to the BMA between 2006 – 2016.
Curated by
Curator of Contemporary Art Kristen Hileman
This 3-minute 16 mm film was inspired by a hot air balloon expedition led by researcher Salomon August Andrée, who left Norway to journey across the North Pole in 1897. Thirty-three years later, the explorers’ remains were found with a box of negatives that told the story of a crash and an ill-fated three-month trek across the ice.
Joachim Koester. Message from Andrée (still). 2005. 16mm film loop. 3 min and 4 sec. The Baltimore Museum of Art: Promised gift of a MAD Gathering in Honor of Sandra Levi Gerstung. BMA R.16861.3. Courtesy the artist and Greene Naftali, New York