We Must Not Take Today's Peaceful Europe without Borders for Granted.
Mia Florentine Weiss (b.
W rzburg, 1980; lives and works in Berlin) makes conceptual art that grapples with questions of community, cultural identity, and the future of Europe.
To mark the centennial ofthe Treaty of Versailles, Weiss will build a sprawling installation in Berlin's St.
Nicholas' Church, transforming the nave into an outsizewalkable steel crucifix laid down on the ground: a universal way of thecross.
Complementing the cross installed in the former church'sinterior, the artist will bring soil from the forty-seven member states ofthe Council of Europe to the exhibition space, which she gatheredwhile traveling across the continent over the past two years.
Mixingthe topsoil from different countries, Weiss obtained a sample from anearth in which all boundaries have become obsolete.
Pressed to formbricks made in series, the material forms another foundation for herengagement with European identity.
The artist documented her workof collecting and her encounters with locals on film.
The catalogueaccompanying the exhibition, titled KREUZ WEG, traces the long-termproject and explores its various stages and multiple facets.
With aforeword by Minister of State Dorothee B r and Senator for Cultureand Europe in Berlin Klaus Lederer; a preface by the curator, Paul Spies; essays by Karlheinz L deking, Sylvia Metz and Bettina Ruhrberg; and an interview with the artist by Stefan Trinks.
About the Author Mia Florentine Weiss (b.
W rzburg, 1980; lives and works in Berlin) makes conceptual art that grapples with questions of community, cultural identity, and the future of Europe.
| Ground | A universal way of thecross |
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Distanz Verlag Gmbh C/o Edel Germany Gmbh Llc Kreuz weg: (english / german edition), hardcover/mia florentine weiss
