Die Röhre
22 May 2026 at 18:00
Criminal Cases – Art versus Law.
Thomas Baumgärtel’s series “Criminal Cases” consists of collages in which the artist combines original legal documents—such as criminal complaints, police reports, court orders, or summary judgments—with photographs, his own performances, and his signature banana motif. In doing so, he transforms real-life legal proceedings against his street art actions into artistic works that reflect the tension between artistic freedom and criminal liability and ironically question the authority of state institutions.
The starting point is often actual legal proceedings against him resulting from his spray-painting actions carried out illegally in public spaces. These documents serve not only as a backdrop but as the central material of the work: They bear stamps, case numbers, and official language, lending the images a documentary, almost archival quality.
Baumgärtel overlays this factual, bureaucratic level with visual interventions. Photographs of urban locations, of himself, or of situations related to his actions enter into dialogue with the texts from the authorities. Over this, he superimposes his spray-painted banana, which acts as a subversive commentary and undermines the authority of the documents. In some cases, he supplements the collages with handwritten notes or gestural overpaintings, thereby introducing a subjective, artistic perspective into the seemingly objective world of the judiciary.
In terms of content, this body of work explores the tension between artistic freedom and criminal liability. The sober language of the law—such as the charge of property damage—clashes with an artistic practice that deliberately conceives of public space as a site for aesthetic intervention. By making the legal proceedings against him the very subject of his art, Baumgärtel reverses the roles: State measures become part of his artistic expression and lose their unambiguous authority. At the same time, a reflection emerges on how society deals with unauthorized art and where the line between vandalism and artistic statement lies.
The banana functions here as a recurring sign that is both a trademark and an ironic symbol. On official documents, it appears like a stamp of counter-power and transforms their level of meaning. Overall, the body of work can be understood as a form of appropriation and institutional critique in which Baumgärtel artistically rewrites his own “case file” and transforms legal reality into a multi-layered visual narrative.
Supported by the Moers Cultural Office | City of Moers