Event date
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Podsumowanie
Artur Żmijewski’s solo exhibition at the Hartware MedienKunstDesign with more than 20 short documentaries is a show of extreme and anachronistic rituals
of democratic public expression representing the darker side of society
Content
Up to date the most comprehensive presentation of the politically inspired videos Żmijewski began recording in 2009, the presentation takes place within the framework of the year-long cultural programme Klopsztanga, and runs in parallel to the 7th Berlin Biennial (duration: April 27 – July 1, 2012), curated by Żmijewski. In the 20-channel video installation the artist juxtaposes diverse opinions and forms of expression and leaves the images without comment. They portray different forms and purposes of collective and political manifestation: demonstrations for the right to abortion or for fair wages, military parades, reenactments of historic battles like the Varsovian uprising of 1944, triumphant fans at the European Football Championship in Germany, Jörg Haider's funeral, political demonstrations, border controls and unrest in the Gaza strip, etc. In the exhibition space, the original soundtracks from each event, merge creating a noisy cacophony of public displeasure.
Embeded gallery style
display gallery as slider
The curator of the exhibition Dr. Inke Arns, about Democracies 2009-2012 :
The title of Żmijewskiʼs series suggests that society is essentially a struggle of conflicting interests, which must be tolerated and constantly negotiated. This is an often tedious and sometimes ugly process, but it is nevertheless the constitutive essence of democracy (everything else being akin to totalitarianism). The political charge of Democracies, however, derives precisely from the fact that it makes no distinction between seemingly mature political commitment on the one hand, and the uncensored expression of ill-judged opinions on the other. Democracies is about uneasy truths, acted out in front of the camera with such commitment that spectators sometimes feel embarrassed for the protagonists. It is about truths we ourselves must confront if we want to continually renew the social consensus – even if watching is sometimes difficult.
Żmijewski’s artistic and curatorial work revolves around political and social themes - social experimentation, which he sets up and documents, but does not attempt to control. Rather, he allows natural social forces to take effect and follow their course. He interferes in politically sensitive issues exploring art’s power of influence and its links to politics. By binding artistic reflection with societal relevance he creates space for revisiting socially sensitive issues.
HMKV at Dortmunder U
Leonie-Reygers-Terrasse
D-44137 Dortmund
Editor: Marta Jazowska
Source: www.hmkv.de, www.klopsztanga.de