Ausstellung-Detailseite

03/04 – 05/21/2018

Altered States. Substances in Contemporary Art

People have always consumed substances for other purposes than nutrition—for medical reasons, for ecstasy, to expand the consciousness, in religious rituals, for self-optimization, out of protest or boredom. Historically the reason for the consumption of one and the same substance has varied and with it its societal meaning. In the 1930s ‘Pervitin’ was considered a miracle cure for all different kinds of diseases, while nowadays methamphetamine is forbidden by law. Formally exclusively used as an animal narcotic, ketamine is not only one of the most popular party drugs but is also increasingly used in the treatment of clinical depression. While girls can choose to take birth control pills for better skin, the LGBTQI-community is fighting a global struggle for the legal access to hormones.

The changing categorization of a substance as a pharmaceutical, mind-alerting drug, hormone, or doping agent suggests that this differentiation is not solely toed to the effects or dangers of a substance. Hiding behind that, you find a social history shaped by questions of race, gender, class, and economic interests. As an inheritance of the 19th and 20th century the discourse is still heavily driven by power structures and taboos. The omnipresence of substances forces us not only to question but to consider a revision of the societal approach towards substances.

The international group show presents artists who address the topic through photography, video, objects, installation art and performances. There will be an open discourse to ask questions about the effects and potentials of certain substances, the correlations between the distribution and the marginalization of minorities, economic interests and highly profitable black markets, as well as subculture and its capitalist usurpation. Ultimately, the exhibition deals with the relationship between the freedom of the individual and a collective responsibility, with biopolitics and (hetero)normativity. The view on substances is challenged and a light is shed on global consequences as well as future potentials.

Participating artists

Daniel García Andújar (ES), Cassils (CA), Rodney Graham (CA), Sidsel Meineche Hansen (DK), Carsten Höller (DE), Joachim Koester (DK), Mary Maggic (US), Joanna Rajkowska (PL), Thomas Rentmeister (DE), Marten Schech (DE), Jeremy Shaw (CA) und Suzanne Treister (GB)

 

Funded by:
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Funded by: 

 
Vernissage: 03.03.2018
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