A reflection on contemporary representations of man in the context of a continuous expansion of the field of visibility.
When speaking of visibility today, one often implies notions of exposure, denudation and intrusion. Whereas in contemporary public discourse, visibility is considered a guarantee for democratic transparency, it also serves to conceal the unconstrained implementation of surveillance techniques and the over-production of power. It is therefore both important and legitimate to investigate the ambivalent meanings and consequences of the democratization of images and the generalization of transparency. The contention of this exhibition and its catalogue is that contemporary art provides a powerful tool in trying to understand the complex mutations society is undergoing in the wake of these developments, to the extent that it voices precisely those aspects of reality which elude all other means of expression.
Published on the occasion of the eponymous exhibition at Casino Luxembourg in 2008.
Works by
Carlos Amorales,
Pierre Bismuth, Michaël Borremans, Heather & Patrick Burnett-Rose,
Mircea Cantor, Sebastián Díaz Morales, Tessa Farmer, Miklos Gaál, Douglas Gordon, Antony Gormley, Sagi Groner, Nanna Hänninen,
Thomas Hirschhorn, Boukje Janssen,
Jesper Just,
Victor Man,
Melik Ohanian, Marilène Oliver, Stéphane Pencréac'h, Victor Răcătău, Jérôme Schlomoff, Speak UP! Tanja Nellemann Poulsen & Grete Aagaard, Yves Trémorin, Vera Weisgerber, Guido van der Werve.
