Group show curated by Robert Meijer
When the Moon Shines on the Moonshine
September 7, 2006–October 7, 2006The Breeder, Athens
When the Moon Shines on the Moonshine. Curated by Robert Meijer.
Participating artists: Monica Bonvicini, Martin Boyce, Matt Connors, Jason Dodge, Elmgreen & Dragset, Jakob Kolding, Henrik Olesen, Kirsten Pieroth, Jesse Finley Reed, Kirstine Roepstorff, Willem De Rooij, Mungo Thomson
All works are in one way or the other connected to the song that is the title of the show, a song from 1920 made popular by Bert Williams, the first black vaudeville performer that made it onto Broadway. the song itself is about producing alcohol in the time of the prohibition, and is in general an eulogy for illegal activity. so there’s many different sides to the show that all connect to the idea of the blackness that I asked the artists to base upon. first of all it connects to the biographical story of Williams, who was sort of a pioneer for afro-american entertainment, and was important in raising consciousness and opening up possibilities for other black performers in the years after his early death, and also the song which portrays nightly activities, things that have to be done secretly, in the dark. of course, not only do most of the artists in the show work mainly in black/white anyway, they also are friends & acquantances from Berlin that I go drinking with frequently or occasionally. some of the works in the show will be very obviously touch upon this theme (like Thomson, or Elmgreen & Dragset), and some of the works are more abstract interpretations of the ideas behind it (like Dodge).
The Moon Shines on the Moonshine
the mahogany is dusty
all pipes are very rusty
the good old fashioned musty
doesn’t musty any more
all the stuffs got bum and bummer
from the middle of the summer
now the bar is on the hummer
and the rent is on the dole
how sad and still tonight
by the old distillery
and how the cobwebs cob
in the old machinery
far in the mountain tops
far from the eyes of cops
oh how the moon shines on the moonshine so merrily
oh for once….
goodness me how misery doubles
ain’t one thing to use for bubbles
or to drive away your troubles
now the tide has gone and went
days and nights are getting bleaker
shivering for an old time sneaker
even water’s getting weaker
’bout onetenthofonepercent
how sad and still tonight
by the old distillery
and how the moaners moan
at the logger brewery
so mister if you please
don’t let no body sneaze
up where the moon shines on the moonshine so still-erly …. so still-erly
