Etzi Ketzi 31.12.1982

While traveling in Crete, Imi Knoebel saw a woman endeavoring unsuccessfully to paint the lid of a galvanized water tank with leftover paint. The incomplete result of this work fascinated him so much that it provided the basic idea for ETZI KETZI (the Greek expression meaning “so-so”). In this sense, the image refers to the vagaries of everyday life and the imperfection of being human. One version of this work belongs to the group of paintings Eigentum Himmelreich (“Property Kingdom of Heaven”) from 1983, which Knoebel dedicated to his artist friend Imi Giese, who died in 1974. In ETZI KETZI, Imi Knoebel uses the red Mennige paint, which is generally used for rustproofing in the metal industry.