FUNDAMENTALISMS OF THE NEW ORDER
CHARLOTTENBORG EXHIBITION HALL, Copenhagen
November 2 - December 8, 2002
Fundamentalisms of the New Order includes new work and projects by over forty artists from the Middle East, Europe and the USA, with many new commissions produced especially for the show. The exhibition aims to ‘turn things inside out’ at Charlottenborg and activate the space with a multitude of artistic media. An integral part of the project is a busy schedule of performances, seminars, debates, workshops, film screenings, concerts and impromptu events. (please see Platform programme enclosed).
Exhibition concept and construction - diversity, playfulness and critical engagement Fundamentalisms of the New Order reflects on the diversity of fundamentalism, a phenomenon that is not confined to particular cultures or modes of thought, and its intention is to explore the concept in its many forms and multiple origins. Why have we, in recent years, seen such a resurgence of fundamentalisms - religious, political, cultural, economic? What are the fundamentalisms at work in our own culture?
The exhibition aims to show that contemporary art can engage productively with these questions, in opposition to a prevailing culture that tends to marginalise alternative or dissenting views. Plurality and playfulness are also central themes, presented in contrast to orthodoxy and austerity, and the exhibition will include oversized toys, political satire, frivolous performance, games that invite audience participation, as well as the creation of new artificial worlds.
Each participating artist deals with global networks of communication and production as well as the physical and conceptual space of the exhibition. As a whole, the exhibition seeks to create a space where each individual artist's voice can be heard and understood as a specific possibility for negotiation.
Public events at Charlottenborg and projects across the city
During the show, one of the galleries at Charlottenborg will become a platform for a diverse range of thought-provoking and entertaining events - including seminars, debates, workshops, film screenings, concerts and impromptu events.
Works will also be sited around Charlottenborg Exhibition Hall, Kongens Nytorv and at other locations in the heart of Copenhagen. In Kongens Nytorv, a new soundwork by Norwegian artist Andrea Lange, Adhan Corner, will give people the opportunity to hear a Muslim prayer call (Adhan) for the first time in a public space in Copenhagen. Posters by the Danish-based artists group VETO giving advice on effective, legal political activism will be put up all over the city. Spacecampaign will produce a wide variety of publicity material, posters, flyers etc. presenting positive counter-images with strong media appeal. These 'products' will infiltrate the public space, and will also be available at Charlottenborg. Israeli artist Giliv Dolev will premiere his new animation Promised Land at Charlottenborg and Filmhuset. His film uses humour to look at the politically and emotionally charged Israel-Palestinian conflict, adopting a satirical approach which presents both sides in a bitter, realistic light. Marko Raat, an Estonian artist, will also premiere his new film Agent Wild Duck at Filmhuset, focusing on the internal problems of a ‘universal manipulation company’ whose functions range from industrial espionage to PR and consultancy.
Multiple visions - raising questions and encouraging fresh ideas
The exhibition uses various strategies to challenge rigid cultural and ideological standpoints, and inevitably it will raise more questions than it answers. However, hopefully it will also be able to propose ways ahead and explore the possibility of finding more positive attitudes, languages and behaviours. Developing its themes through artworks and discussions, Fundamentalisms of the New Order aims to break down preconceptions and create a space for cross-pollination and new thinking. In a world that greets real change with apprehension, the best response is neither a nostalgic appeal to the past, nor a fearful mistrust of the future, but instead a willingness to give fresh ideas and conceptions a chance.
Curated by Cristina Ricupero, Lars Bang Larsen and Charlotte Brandt.