Kathy Acker's 'GET RID OF MEANING' at Badischer Kunstverein

The first comprehensive solo exhibition of writer and artist Kathy Acker, 'GET RID OF MEANING', was held at Badischer Kunstverein in Karlsruhe from 5 October to 2 December 2018. Curated by Matias Viegener and Anja Casser, the show emphasized Acker's work as text, performance, process, and scholarship, rather than her literary influence. It was structured around four key texts: 'The Childlike Life of The Black Tarantula' (1973), 'Blood and Guts in High School' (1970s/1984), 'In Memoriam to Identity' (1980), and 'Pussy King of The Pirates'. The exhibition included works by artists who influenced or were influenced by Acker, such as Eleanor Antin, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Anja Kirschner, and Pauline Boudry and Renate Lorenz. Exhibition design by Fotini Lazaridou-Hatzigoga repurposed old vitrines and plinths painted black with hot pink raw planks. A reading area featured translated editions of Acker's works with a photocopier for visitors. Acker's personal library, housed at the University of Cologne, was curated by Daniel Shulz. The show also included videos, photographs, and a film by Pauline Boudry and Renate Lorenz titled 'I Want' (2015), featuring Sharon Hayes performing a monologue mixing Chelsea Manning's words with Acker's. A concurrent exhibition, 'I, I, I, I, I, I, I, Kathy Acker', was held at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London from 1 May to 4 August 2019.