The Death of the Pope

Unruly Kinship, Temporary Gallery, Cologne (DE), February – April 2023

In January 2023 the Feel Good Cooperative went to say goodbye to Benedict XVI during his funeral home in St Peter’s Basilica, the installation The Death of the Pope presents the series of prints that the members of the Cooperative made after this very special moment they lived together.
After having drawn together their daily and working life in their first workshop, the members of the Cooperative have now put on paper the images suggested by their visit to Benedict XVI in the Vatican and they’ve learnt together a new technique, engraving. A Feel Good Cooperative Academy of Fine Arts is taking shape!

On the television on the crocheted tablecloth the visitor can see The Day We Went to See Him Dead. The film follows the encounter step by step, trailing the sex workers and the crowd of worshippers as they cross St. Peter´s nave. A group of trans subjectivities penetrate the collective mourning of a pope known for his transphobic stances. With their presence and proud gait – as performers within the collective performance – the members of the Cooperative blend into the scenography and the baroque ritual in which they take part.

The installation and the film have been possible thanks to the invitation and support of Kris Dittel and Aneta Rostkowska in the context of the project Unruly Kinships at Temporary Gallery (Cologne, DE).

Views of the exhibition Unruly Kinships, Temporary Gallery, Cologne (DE)
Curated by Kris Dittel and Aneta Rostkowska
Photos: Simon Vogel

Pauline Curnier Jardin and Feel Good Cooperative
The Death of the Pope, 2023
Installation, prints and wallpaper, 450 x 325 cm
Courtesy: the artists, ChertLüdde, Berlin and Ellen de Bruijne Projects, Amsterdam

Pauline Curnier Jardin and Feel Good Cooperative
The Day We Went to See Him Dead, 2023
Film, 33min 28sec
Courtesy: the artist, Ellen de Bruijne Projects, Amsterdam and ChertLüdde, Berlin

Behind-the-scenes photos by Pauline Curnier Jardin, Feel Good Cooperative and Colin Ledoux