The work of Rémy Markowitsch (b. 1957 in Zurich, lives and works in Berlin) often draws on classical literature to shed a light on the darker, partly subconscious undercurrents that run through society.
The starting point of Juliens Maus is the legend of Saint Julian the Hospitaller, as told by Gustave Flaubert (1877). After the gratuitous killing of a mouse in church, young Julian is driven by the irrepressible desire to hunt and kill animals in their hundreds. But despite leading a life of savagery, interspersed with bouts of penance, he is finally redeemed and ascends to heaven.
Inspired by a stained-glass window in Rouen Cathedral, Flaubert’s story explores concepts of sin, remorse and redemption by suggesting a dual, both Christic and erotic, reading. The artist’s sculpture, and the accompanying video that can be accessed via QR code, harness these powerful images to playfully question our relationship to otherness.
