Leopards in the temple

Kathrin Sonntag, An/Aus, 2009.

"Leopards break into the temple and drink to the dregs what is in the sacrificial pitchers; this is repeated over and over again; finally it can be calculated in advance, and it becomes a part of the ceremony."

What readily appears to be a parable regarding the interplay between form and change (and certainly it is that) finds Kafka beginning with an indelible image — the intruders are already inside the gates going about the business of undoing — only to deftly shift toward a rapid sequence of repetition, exhaustion, and eventual incorporation. In short, the overturning of convention and form is quickly codified, absorbed, and becomes part of the ritual. In this regard, perhaps this makes it as fitting a parable for art history as for art making. And yet the nature of the aphoristic is that it troubles the space of meaning rather than providing resolve.

via.