As a finale to Childhood, Love and Money, Martín La Roche presents the Musée Légitime – a museum within a hat. Each artist in the collection contributes a small or immaterial piece that can fit inside the hat while worn by the artist. On various occasions, the artist curates a selection of pieces, tucks them inside the hat, and goes for a walk while wearing the museum. When the opportunity arises, he reveals the pieces one by one, sharing their stories and those of the authors. Currently, there are 172 pieces within eleven museum buildings (hats).
For this closing act, a special selection of pieces pays homage to David Wojnarowicz’s “Magic Box.” Found beneath the New York artist’s bed after his 1992 passing due to AIDS complications, this enigmatic wooden fruit box and its contents, which Wojnarowicz never addressed in his lifetime, serve as the starting point for Martin La Roche’s contemplations about childhood memories and queer space.
Images:
Item from the Magic Box (092.2.0547, Box 116), among the David Wojnarowicz Papers, at the Fales Library & Special Collections, New York University. Photo courtesy by the artist.
Musée Légitime (bowler hat), 2017-2023.
