Thu:02-10-2008

- German Artist To 'Smoke' Kurt Cobain's Ashes

'I Am Setting Him Free' She Claims

In June of this year, grunge lovers the world over united in grief after hearing that the ashes of Nirvana legend Kurt Cobain were flogged from Courtney Love's Los Angeles home.  (read story here)

Courtney Love said at the time, "I can't believe anyone would take Kurt's ashes from me. I find it disgusting [and] right now I'm suicidal."

But if claims from a German artist are to be believed, the mystery of the nicked ashes may be a mystery no longer.

According to starpulse.com, Natascha Stellmach has purported to have 'acquired' the ashes, and plans to smoke them!

No, not to evoke the tormented ghost of the Nirvana front man, but to feature them in a macabre art exhibition. 

The artist is keeping mum about how exactly she came to be in possession of the remains. She tells Artworld magazine, "That's confidential and kind of magic. They came to me. And I am setting him free."

By 'setting him free', we presume she means from his previous resting place; his ashes were kept by Courtney in a pink bag shaped like a teddy bear. 

In a statement announcing her find, Berlin-based Stellmach has detailed her plans to smoke the ashes as part of the forthcoming Set Me Free exhibition at the city's Wagner + Partner gallery on October 11th.

We could be wrong, but if ever there was a fitting end for the late rocker it would be getting 'smoked' in a whack art exhibition; somehow a pink teddy bear doesn't quite seem like Kurt's style. 

By Penelope Quinn

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