Fritsch and Koschkarow's Ominous Chamber Piece at Schaulager Basel

At Schaulager in Münchenstein near Basel, Katharina Fritsch (born 1956, Essen) and Alexej Koschkarow (born 1972, Minsk) have created a chamber piece titled "Zita – Щара" in the space designed by Herzog & de Meuron. The exhibition occupies three medium-small rooms with seven works, evoking a theatrical mise-en-scène with ominous undertones. In the main room, a Klein-blue coffin with a psychedelic orange catafalque is visible. Fritsch also presents a large installation of a circle of black rats elsewhere in the museum. Koschkarow's work "Das was keinen Namen hat" (2016) is featured. The title references Zita of Bourbon-Parma, the last Empress of Austria, and the Shchara River in Belarus. The works engage with history, memory, and existential themes such as life, death, pain, and loss. Fritsch's colorful, expressionless figures contrast with Koschkarow's colorless, historically charged pieces. Giant dolls made from corn leaves, colored with highlighter yellow, appear. Large paper eagles loom over viewers, suggesting a faltering power—the old world before World War I has ended. The atmosphere is engaging yet unsettling, filled with silence and muted violence. The exhibition runs until October 2, 2016.