In capitalism, we know that there are winners and losers. And so one might assume that capitalism must be a game. If so, then it is certainly a pretty unfair one. Because the winners always win more, while the losers almost always only lose.
To counteract this, there is now a redistribution office at Adalbertstrasse 44 in Munich called “Lotto for All” headed by Peter Kees. When it opened, Kees offered direct, unbureaucratic help to everyone in need by sticking dollar bills to one of the two shop windows for two and a half hours. A total of 500 pieces, which anyone who wanted could then use freely. Three hours after opening there were still around 450 dollars there.
But that’s not all. When a few dollars flew away during the afternoon during the pasting process, attentive passers-by brought them back. Which Peter Kees found kind of funny. But what also shows: “Here in Munich we are in a rich city.” Well, some of them took their dollars with them. Including three young women who first looked curious, then courageously grabbed it and exclaimed “Cool!” walked away. A young man said, “You just deducted a dollar. Is that allowed?” Then he shouted to his friends: “We are rich!”, but then he didn’t dare take a dollar. A young couple, he slightly nervous, looked at the dollars from all sides and then took one each. And otherwise you often hear the question: “Are they real?”
“Lotto for everyone. The redistribution office” is, one might say, an art event. A game. An experiment (see www.lottofueralle.info). Peter Kees is an artist living in Ebersberg and Berlin who has made many exhibitions, interactions, films and books. Most recently he took part in the “Art Kiosks” with a “Visa Office”. The place where Kees has set up shop until June 9th is the Super+ Centercourt Gallery. The office is open every Thursday to Saturday, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. From 7 p.m., Kees will have conversations with guests in the shop window. Those invited are Stefan Jagel from the Left (May 3rd), Gerhard Beisenherz, a lawyer and sociologist (May 4th), Doris Rauscher from the SPD (May 9th) and Edina Stiegeler from Youngcaritas (May 10th).
Before the talks there is a lottery drawing at 6.30 p.m. in which everyone gets their stake back. Not more but also not less. This happens in the office, where the sentence “Money is beautiful” is emblazoned in neon letters on the wall. Everyone can ask themselves whether this is true while Peter Kees is writing the bill. Because that is the central part of the campaign: everyone can have an invoice written for things that bother them. Kees had already written five invoices for the opening. One went to the city with a demand for compensation for the overpricing of rental apartments in the amount of 18,316.80 euros. Another is demanding 220,000 euros from the AfD because of its burdensome policies.
Andreas and Thomas Strüngmann from Hexal AG, two of the wealthiest people in Bavaria, charge Kees a flat rate fee. And he demands money from Mercedes-Benz for the free advertising that he has done for years as a Mercedes driver. Will all of this achieve anything? Now ideally there will be a conversation. And that is also the purpose of the campaign: to talk about today’s injustices.
Kees already had his first customer on the opening evening: Hubert Kretschmer, who has been in the neighboring Türkenstrasse for many years AAP Artist Publications Archive leads, including one Online catalog. Kretschmer does this at his own expense and has art students and scientists as visitors. And it doesn’t actually do anything other than what state archives do. He now billed the Bavarian Minister of Art, Markus Blume, for 40 years of unpaid scientific and educational work. Which actually seems only fair. Kees still pointed out: “It’s just a game.” Kretschmer’s spontaneous answer: “But you can win games.”