Picture a Moon, Shining in the Sky — Conversation with Martin Kippenberger

3rd edition 2013
Published by STARSHIP,
Hans-Christian Dany, Martin Ebner, Ariane Müller

Starship publishing #2

with an editorial note by Ariane Müller
and a note from the translator

Translation into English: Micah Magee
Proof editing: Ruth Buchanan, Nicholas Matranga, Megan Francis Sullivan, Vera Tollmann

Illustrations courtesy Estate Martin Kippenberger, Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne

Also published in German as
“Stellen Sie sich vor, ein Mond scheint am Himmel, Gespräch mit Martin Kippenberger”, Starship, 4th edition, 2013

The german original “Kippenberger Spezial” was first published 1991 in: ARTFAN #13

STARSHIP
redaktion@starship-magazine.org

There I would like to make a happy end for once. And something commercial, as you call it. Happy end somehow means commercial. I wouldn’t fight it becoming a best seller. The book that one carries at his side like a Bible from which one can draw strength.
Even if it lies around for a few years and sometimes distribution is delayed and some people won’t read it for another ten years. A book has a completely different circulation than a catalogue. Catalogues are 2,000 to 5,000, a book is 20,000 and maybe it will be trilingual, if you are able to express yourself in different languages.
People are sitting out there under the depressed apple tree, oh no, another coconut fell down instead of an apple. Head wound. Then they say, what is coming next? And then there is a book and they open it and say, oh it can’t be all that bad.