»Totale Erinnerung«, 2009, Alter Meßplatz, Mannheim
curated by vvork.com as part of the 3rd Fotofestival in Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg, 05.09.2009 – 25.10.2009
participating artists:
Mathieu Bernard-Reymond, Broc Blegen, Catrin Bolt , Luchezar Boyadjiev, Candice Breitz, Olaf Breuning, Mauren Brodbeck, The Bruce High Quality Foundation, Paolo Chiasera, Citizens Association “Rocky Balboa” Žitište, Lenka Clayton, Gerad Coles, Dainis Derics, Marjolijn Dijkman, Harm van den Dorpel , Michael Elmgreen & Ingar Dragset, Amel Emric, Leo Fabrizio, Lise Gagne, Cyprien Gaillard, Hayley Grimes, Simon Hardy, Pablo Hare, Joel Holmberg, William Hundley, Iman Issa, Mandy Lee Jandrell, Pete Johns, Jan Kempenaers, Kernbeißer, Lanica Klein, Shaan Kokin, Timur Kulgarin, Tomaz Levstek, Miguel Luciano, Ives Maes, Kelly Mark, Brett Matthews, Juan Monino, Mark Ollerenshaw, Christodoulos Panayiotou, Lauris Paulus, Kevin Phelan, Sarah Pickering, Wang Qingsong, Bernadette Rafferty, Karla Vanessa Redor, Amanda Richards, Thomas Ruellan, Pascual Sisto, Simon Smyth, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Anetta Mona Chisa & Lucia Tkacova, Guy Tillim, Rijel Violet, Drazen Vukelic, Chris Wiley
The labyrinth functions as an analogy to the world of images in the age of Flickr, YouTube, and cell-phone cameras, where there exist endless variations of an image one beside the other. The frequency of duplicates, copies, conversions, and reinterpretations demands a new way of dealing with the notion that we can orient ourselves toward images.
The labyrinth is a site of confusion and at the same time memory. Similar repetitive impressions lead to a loss of orientation.
The installation Totale Erinnerung (Total Recall) makes reference to the environment of the labyrinth. The Alte Meßplatz in Mannheim is characterized by a wide variety of architectural styles from the last two centuries, yet is does without any kind of memorials or monuments. Our selection of works that examine monumentality uses this site of emptiness. The comparison of similar monuments allows the viewer to recognize heterogeneity in an ostensibly homogenous series.
Alongside works by contemporary artists, indiscriminate stock photography, vacation pictures from Flickr, photos from auction houses, as well as works by photographers for the photo agencies Reuters and the Associated Press will be shown.
There is no clear path through the labyrinth. The visitor defines his or her own path and thus constructs a dramaturgy of the images.
installation views:
works (selection):
Plans for the future (Universal Exhibition Hannover, 2000) vs. Propaganda (Soylent Green, 1973), 2008 by Ives Maes
Spomenik, 2007 by Jan Kempenaers
Theatrum Orbis Terrarum – References, 2005 – ongoing by Marjolijn Dijkman
Repairing Lebanon, 2007 by Lenka Clayton
Young woman by pillar-Carthage-Tunisia-Africa, 2007 by Drazen Vukelic/iStockpoto
Statuen Umarmen, since 1999 by Catrin Bolt & Draco Study, 2008 by William Hundley
IT REALLY WAS NO MIRACLE. WHAT HAPPENED WAS JUST THIS…, 2007 by Christodoulos Panayiotou
Britney Spears Monument, Berlin, September 2007, 2007 by Candice Breitz
Past, 2001 by Wang Qingsong
Rocky Balboa, Žitište-Srbija & Rocky Balboa, Philadelphia-USA
Louis XIV from Paris (From the series “On Vacation”), 2004 – ongoing by Luchezar Boyadjiev
Big Pineapple, 2009 by Simon Smyth
Colonial-era statues in storage in Kinshasa, DR Congo, 2003 by Guy Tillim
documentation of the opening:
aerial view:
video walkthrough:
press:
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 29.09.2009