There is a possibility to consider the ‘meaning' of cultural objects as arbitrary. Contemporary art therefore has been subject to the suspicion that ‘the meaning of art' is somehow conspiratorial in nature. French philosopher Jean Baudrillard for example infuriated the art world with his text ‘Le Complot de l'Art', published in 1996. In the article, Baudrillard claimed that art exists everywhere but in art, and that it has become a case of ‘insider trading'. The term is frequently used to refer to a practice in which an insider or a related party trades based on material non-public information obtained during the performance of the insider's duties at the corporation.
The exhibition ‘The Conspiracy' brings together work from an extensive group of Swiss and international artists (with among others Narcisse Tordoir and Steve Van den Bosch) which span different generations. ‘The Conspiracy' is an investigation into the perception and reception of art in the public debate and seeks out strategies by which artists enter into connections with various understandings or refusals regarding the public.
With work by Giro Annen, Nino Baumgartner, John Divola, Chris Evans, Dora Garcia, Gerard Hemsworth, Raphaël Julliard, Martin Möll, Annina Matter, Corey McCorkle, Camille Norment, Annaïk Lou Pitteloud & Steve van den Bosch, Bradley Pitts, David Renggli, Ana Roldán & Falke Pisano, Narcisse Tordoir, Allan Uglow and Xu Zhen.
From 1 August to 6 September in Kunsthalle Bern, Helvetiaplatz 1, 3005 Bern. Open Tue-Fri from 11am to 6pm and Sat-Sun from 10am to 6pm.
www.kunsthalle-bern.ch