08 Nov 2008

MEDIUM RELIGION at ZKM

MEDIUM RELIGION

November 23, 2008–April 19, 2009

Beginning November 23, ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe Germany will be showing a new theme-based group exhibition in the ZKM | Museum of Contemporary Art: 'Medium Religion'.

Based on the much discussed 'return of religions' the thematic show provides on 3,000 sqm a comprehensive view into the medial reproduction and meaning of religion, especially in the geopolitical hot spots of the Middle East, Asia, Russia, the United States, and South America. Many works will be shown for the first time in Germany and have been specially prepared and researched for the exhibition.

'Medium Religion' aims to present both documentary and artistic perspectives surrounding the topic. For example, media aspects of religion will be showcased using current examples of religious video propaganda. Also presented will be works by individual artists who have confronted images from such propaganda in their works. Shown, for instance, will be suicide notes from religiously inspired terrorists, religious-propaganda television series, and documentaries about current sects and religious groups. The artistic works juxtaposing the documentaries arise for the most part from the same context as the religious movements that they thematize. They are neither affirmative nor critical with regard to the religious rituals, images, and texts of the respective cultures, but rather blasphemous. They place the religious symbolism of the respective culture in an unconventional context in order to provoke a different perception. They thereby enable both a critical analysis of the respective religious iconography as well as its crossover into modern culture.

Artists in Exhibition:

Adel Abdessemed, Oreet Ashery, Maja Bajevic, Peter Bogers, Christoph Büchel, Paul Chan, Susana Pilar Delahante Matienzo, Wim Delvoye, Dias & Riedweg, Valie Export/Ingrid und Oswald Wiener, Omer Fast, Barbad Golshiri, Boris Groys, IRWIN, Kajri Jain, Romuald Karmakar, Vitaly Komar, Maxim Kononenko, Beryl Korot and Steve Reich, Korpys/Löffler, Alexander Kosolapov, Florian Meyer, Rabih Mroué, Dorcas Müller, Sang-Kyoon Noh, Anand Patwardhan, Nira Pereg, Huang Yong Ping, robotlab, Osvaldo Romberg, Dorna Safaian, Anri Sala, Günter Saree, Konrad Balder Schäuffelen, Christoph Schlingensief, Gregor Schneider, Michael Schuster, Wael Shawky, Joshua Simon, Jalal Toufic, Vadim Zakharov, Hermes Zygott.

Curated by Boris Groys and Peter Weibel.