High time for art

Hot spot Brenners Park Hotel

Twenty works, including
including a life-size installation made of glass and platinum - "The Model" - can be seen at Brenners Park Hotel and Villa Stephanie. For the Hollywood photo series "3 Minutes with ..." - Kiki Kausch gave herself and big stars such as Michael Douglas, Benedict Cumberbatch, Matt Damon and Cameron Diaz exactly three minutes for the shoot to create suspense. The photo artist will also be showing her debut work "Man at work" with Karl Lagerfeld in New York as well as her unique series "Follow the Red Bag" - the world tour of a red handbag in search of places of longing. A premiere is "Spring", the first joint work with graffiti sprayer MadC, in which a photo collage by Kiki Kausch is sprayed over. Connoisseur Circle met the artist for an interview shortly before the vernissage on June 22.


CC: Ms. Kausch,
How did the art collaboration with the Brenners Park Hotel come about?

Kausch: My pictures
wanted to take some time out and go on vacation to one of the best hotels in the world. I recommended the Brenners to them (laughs). Baden-Baden is traditionally a place for creative minds - always has been - and the Brenners is of course very connected to culture. For example, Brenners has a partnership with the State Art Gallery. And now the exhibition with my works, all summer long. That's why we called it "Summertime". We spread the photographs throughout the main building and Villa Stephanie, offering guests an art walk.


How do you choose the hotels
where you show your works?

It's really hand-picked.
This is the third exhibition with the Oetker Collection: after St Barths at Eden Rock Gallery and last summer at Chateau Saint Martin in the south of France. I must also say I am a big fan of these houses. They are unique and run with great passion. My collectors can be found there. I think it is in keeping with the times that we "move". Sophisticated art in luxury hotels is a big trend. This creates an exciting dialog with guests and staff.


You also like to travel yourself
and a lot. What do you notice? What is happening in the upscale hotel industry?

Yes, indeed
I'm often sitting on packed suitcases. There really is a lot going on in the hospitality industry. And art is a good example. It is invested in to delight guests with sophisticated images and exhibits. Art is an important communication factor. You can talk about it in the truest sense of the word. Art in the hotel also takes away fears of contact. You can look at it unobserved and in peace. But, back to your question: it seems to me that the luxury travel industry is constantly improving and reinventing itself. It's a lot of fun to go on a journey of discovery and for me as an artist, traveling is also enormously important and inspiring.


What does luxury mean
for you personally?

I have just
back from a weekend with friends on the Baltic Sea. 250 kilometers away from Berlin. Two perfect days by the sea with rosé wine and herring canapés. It was the luxury of the moment and the happiness of being with loved ones.


Summertime

Art at Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa

Kiki Kausch - Photography

June 23 - September 16, 2018

20 photographic works
www.oetkercollection.com
Info under
www.kikikausch.com