"I used to be against everything, today I stand in front of the state and defend its achievements against idiots who are oblivious to history."

Jacques Tilly's carnival floats are as famous as they are infamous. The floats for the upcoming Rose Monday parade are lined up close together in the old streetcar depot. Some are already resplendent in bright colors, others are still under construction. It smells of paint, in the background a drill drowns out the construction site radio and people with clothes full of paint splotches are walking around everywhere. In the middle of it all is the lord, master and court jester of this very "Düsseldorf" universe: Jacques Tilly.

His satirical large-scale sculptures, which have made the Düsseldorf Rose Monday parade the epitome of the biting and very political carnival, are known worldwide. Tilly stops at nothing and no one - whether Vladimir Putin, who bathes in blood. Donald Trump, who has cut a hack cross out of the American flag. And not even the bishop with a penis mitre on his head and the words "The core problem of the Catholic Church" on his gown.

"I came to the hall when I was 20 and knew straight away that I didn't want to leave."

What can be seen at the upcoming Zoch is probably Düsseldorf's most closely guarded secret. Tilly's designs are realized in a hall that is only accessible to the closest team. "The secrecy gives us freedom, we accept complaints from Ash Wednesday onwards," says Tilly during a tour of the large carriage hall. In his usual work clothes, a red overall, he strides through the rows. His phone is constantly ringing while employees keep asking him short questions. "We start with the first floats in May, then from November it's all about carnival," explains Jacques Tilly. Around 100 floats are built, shaped and painted. In addition to the 14 themed floats, around 85 from carnival clubs and sponsors will be taking part. "A quarter of the clubs build their floats themselves, many based on my designs," says 61-year-old Tilly. In addition to the figures, there are also superstructures for the obligatory camels, loudspeakers and toilet blocks.

Incidentally, anyone can learn the technique of creating colorful and lively figures from wire, paste and acrylic paint from the master himself in weekend workshops. Just not just before carnival, when the work is highly concentrated. Fortuna Düsseldorf's float is already glowing bright red and white, Visit Düsseldorf will drive through the streets with scenes from Düsseldorf's cultural history and the Prinzengarde's float will draw attention to the 200th anniversary of the Düsseldorf carnival with a donkey. "The donkey led the first carnival procession in Düsseldorf in 1825," says Tilly.

"We treat all parties equally, only the AfD more equally"

Jacques Tilly himself has been a formative force in the Düsseldorf carnival for 40 years. "I came to the hall when I was 20 and knew immediately that I didn't want to leave." A year later, he began studying communication design at the Gesamthochschule Essen. "It took me nine years because I always took the winter semester off to build the carriages." However, he was not the first well-known artist to build themed floats. Before him, world-famous Düsseldorf artists such as Gerhard Richter and Günther Uecker worked in the hall. However, Jacques Tilly was fascinated by carnival much earlier: "I was four years old and dressed up as a little devil when I watched the first Zoch. My father put me on an aluminum ladder so that I could see better." Back at home, little Jacques drew what he had seen. Early children's and youth drawings - and of course his famous floats - are on display until August 11 at the Stadtmuseum Düsseldorf in the exhibition "Jacques Tilly. Freigeist - 200 years of the Düsseldorf Carnival Committee" until 11 August. How does it feel to be "museumized"? "A bit like a mummy," jokes the Düsseldorf native. "But I hope I'll be doing this for a while yet."

Jacques Tilly's love for his job is evident in every sentence - especially in these politically turbulent times. His role as a satirist who holds up a mirror to society and its institutions has changed. "I used to be against everything, today I stand in front of the state and defend its achievements against idiots who are oblivious to history," explains Tilly. And there he is, the passionate fighter for a free democracy and a tolerant and open society. He is well aware of the increased importance of his work: "When our order is threatened, we build floats with strong opinions all the more." Even though the carnival is neutral in terms of party politics, you can probably guess which party he will target the most. "We treat all parties equally, only the AfD more equally," admits Tilly smugly, who is now sitting in the kitchen of the float construction hall drinking a coffee. Employees come in all the time, talk to him briefly and then disappear back into the mysterious hall adjacent to the kitchen.

In addition to current politics, Tilly has another favorite field: church and religion. One that he cultivates as an advisor to the humanist Giordano Bruno Foundation outside of carnival. His special tip for an excursion in Düsseldorf is therefore logical: "We like to take visitors to the Nordpark to walk the Evolution Trail, which starts at the Auquazoo." There, you can walk along a 500-metre route covering almost five billion years of the Earth's history, with each meter representing ten million years.

Incidentally, another carnival highlight for Jacques Tilly is the Düsseldorf stunt session. And where does Jacques Tilly, who has spent his whole life in Oberkassel, like to go for dinner? "I like to go to traditional breweries like the Füchschen or Schlüssel," says Tilly and thinks for a moment. "But then I also have to mention the Meuser in Niederkassel, which is THE traditional pub in Düsseldorf on the left bank of the Rhine, where I live." Then his cell phone rings for the umpteenth time, he accepts the call apologetically and speaks briefly. A man who is rightly in demand - especially in politically turbulent carnival times. We need free spirits like him in Düsseldorf and Germany right now.

Text: Clemens Henle
Photos: Uwe Kraft