For its exhibition at Preview Berlin, artMbassy has invited Tania Inowlocki of the Geneva-based research institute Small Arms Survey as guest curator. On display are recent works by Jan Bauer, Alain Declercq and Joachim Seinfeld that raise questions regarding the perception of small arms. Preview Berlin – The Emerging Art Fair, September 29, 2006.
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CreativityTranscript
00:00 This stand is dedicated to the perception of small arms as well as larger weapons such
00:07 as bombs in the works of Jan Bauer in this case and in particular the perception of weapons
00:18 and small arms violence.
00:20 In this case we have a work by Joachim Seinfeld where I can shoot at a target which I'll do
00:27 right now.
00:32 And unfortunately I've shot myself and the question emerges to what extent are we hurting
00:39 ourselves when we shoot at other people and are we always going to be harming ourselves
00:44 in some way.
00:46 I can show you as well.
00:49 There are some attaché cases with very poorly concealed weapons in this case a colt that
00:57 sticks out because it's stuck inside.
01:02 This is by an artist called Alain Declare.
01:05 He's a French artist and this is a longer story.
01:11 This is a still that comes from a movie that inspired him with a reaction to which actually
01:17 inspired him to create these suitcases.
01:20 Here we have another weapon very poorly concealed.
01:24 Basically what happened was that the artist made a movie about a special agent on the
01:32 trying to pursue terrorist agents and in trying to pursue the terrorist agents he's being
01:40 filmed in the Middle East and in Washington and in the end you're not quite sure whether
01:46 this movie is fiction or whether it's actually a documentary.
01:51 And the French police saw this film and was really worried and basically interrogated
01:57 the artist for many hours.
02:00 And still the police in France is not convinced that this artist is not a terrorist himself.
02:05 So he responded with these works to show the police that they can't just level absurd charges,
02:12 that he'll respond with absurd art.
02:15 Here we have more works by Jan Bauer who works specifically with existing magazine and newspaper
02:24 articles and images which he crops.
02:28 And the red circles are actually in the originals in each case.
02:35 The one on the back here on the back wall, sorry, is called "Seconds After the Shot."
02:41 It shows a man who's been shot by the mafia in Italy and the viewer's attention is being
02:47 drawn to the person who's been hurt.
02:50 And in actuality I think you really need to wonder why it is that we're not supposed to
02:55 worry about why all the standards by are not reacting.
03:00 Here we have two paintings by Jan Bauer as well which depict the exact same instant just
03:07 before the Pope was shot at in 1981.
03:10 He was shot four times and you can see the eyes being directed here and in the other
03:16 painting to the weapon in the crowd that is being, that's targeting Pope John Paul II
03:26 which eventually hit him four times and critically wounded him and almost changed the course
03:31 of history.
03:34 So again we're being led to perceive this armed violence in a very particular way.
03:39 We're being asked to focus a certain way.
03:41 The framing is very particular and we're not able to decide ourselves or view the moment
03:49 ourselves to decide what is important in this image just like in the image with the person
03:56 who was shot down by the mob.
03:59 And if we turn to these paintings here we have works that show parts of the palace and
04:06 near the palace in Baghdad where bombs hit.
04:10 Again we're being asked to concentrate on specific areas in a very sanitized way by
04:17 readily recognizable red circles that serve to explain to us what we should take seriously
04:24 and how we need to look at violence.
04:26 [BLANK_AUDIO]