5. Tyrannis

Since 2016, a gigantic fountain with huge bronze statues has stood in the main square of Skopje, North Macedonia’s capital. In terms of the transportation and the production of the sculptures, cast in Italy, no expense nor effort was spared. The monument created in honor of Alexander the Great does not only show the ancient military leader at a height of approximately 20 meters, riding eastwards with his sword raised, but also his flank guards: four roaring lions. The sensual pleasure of this public art ensemble is perpetuated by Richard Wagner’s popular melody ​“Ride of the Valkyries” (1851) played on loop. In 2016, during the so-called ​“Colorful Revolution,” the Macedonian opposition took to the streets against the authoritarian Nikola Gruevski, and dashed paint bags at government buildings. This fountain and other structures, which the government had built and redesigned in an eclectic mix of styles, were protected by the police to prevent them from being pelted with paint cartridges.

Each of the four lion heads, which in Skopje are located at the four points of the compass on the edge of the fountain basin, stands in a bucket filled with water. In addition, they are equipped with a small pump and light, so that they constitute a kind of miniature water feature in reference to the original fountain. Approaching the sculpture, the water feature of the fountain elements is set in motion and the Ride of the Valkyries’ melodies starts to resound.

Kapfer’s reconstruction does not only shed the exorbitance of the original fountain located in Skopje, but similarly the martial aspect associated with the ​“Ride of the Valkyries.” The piece of music stems from Richard Wagner’s opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (1874). Played within this cycle in the second part of the first scene’s third act, the piece illustrates the flying horses’ arrival. The same music was not only used for propaganda purposes during the Nazi era, but also scores Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic scene of Apocalypse Now (1979), in which an American combat helicopter attacks a Vietnamese village.

The musical illustration of the flying horses has proven to be quite suitable for emphasizing dynamic combat actions. However, neither the original fountain in Skopje, nor Kapfer’s replica are dynamic. As a consequence, the musical accompaniment to Kapfer’s work seems out of place and exaggerated, leading the installation to appear grotesque and ridiculous. It is precisely this irony that Kapfer intends to achieve, and as such the work can be understood as a humorous annotation to the depicted hero worship.


Franz Kapfer, Tyrannis, 2014
Sound installation with lights
Lacquer on wood, water pump, metal, plastic (tub)
Variable dimensions, 235 x 300 x 230 cm
Courtesy evn collection, Maria Enzersdorf