Gregor Hildebrandt’s cassette shelves reflect the artist’s insatiable interest in music and cinema. He interweaves and connects references from these fields within his own systems of work. An evolution of the artist’s paper works and connected to his granite pieces, both of which feature iconic figures of cinema, these works are inspired by the shelves commonly used to store cassettes during the golden age of analog media. They recreate paintings or portraits that have been cut and then glued onto the inlays contained in the cases.
The work "Polaris" presents a portrait of the actress and singer Marlene Dietrich, a core reference for the artist who, among others, interpreted his favorite song, “Wenn ich mich was wünschen dürfte” (If I could wish for something). In this new work, the artist has altered the portrait of his muse with cuts that mimic the pattern of the crumbled wall located in his back yard.
By revealing a few cassette inlays, the cut-outs reveal partial access to a list of songs. This music archive heightens the nostalgia contained within, referencing a more recent past than the one evoked by Dietrich’s portrait.