March 2018
March 21–May 27, 2018 Democracy appears to be in crisis; the post-democratic era has already dawned. The symptoms are manifold: populist leaders, fake news, autocratic backlash, totalitarian propaganda, neoliberalism. However, tendencies toward a re-politicized society have been palpable for some time now. Artists, too, are increasingly raising objections. They create works that they see as instruments of criticism and which expressly pursue political intentions. In a major exhibition, the SCHIRN brings together artistic positions which can be read as seismographs of contemporary political activity. It focuses on fundamental issues and the examination of the phenomena and possibilities of political participation. The works call political positions into question, illustrate forms of protest, and set their sights on artistic involvement. Installations, photographs, videos, paintings, and sculptures document the erosion of democratic achievements and the active pressure of the new mass movements. They analyze discourses on dominance and nonconformist interjections, develop strategies of opposition, and reflect the imaginative ways of the new protest culture. Artists: Halil Altındere, Phyllida Barlow, Guillaume Bijl, Julius von Bismarck, Andrea Bowers, Osman Bozkurt, Tobias Donat, Sam Durant, Omer Fast, Mark Flood, Forensic Architecture, Dani Gal, Katie Holten, Adelita Husni-Bey, Hiwa K, Edgar Leciejewski, Jonathan Monk, Ahmet Öğüt, Ricarda Roggan, Marinella Senatore, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Nasan Tur, Jens Ullrich