31 Aug 2010

PLATFORM3 presents Societe Realiste

PLATFORM3- Spaces for Contemporary Art, Munich is pleased to present the first solo show of Paris-based cooperative Société Réaliste in Munich, Germany: The Fountainhead and Other Artworks, opening on September, 14th, 2010 at 7 p.m.

The show's title refers to Société Réaliste's debut full length motion picture that is to premiere at PLATFORM3. THE FOUNTAINHEAD proposes an experimental rereading of the eponymous 1949 Hollywood motion picture directed by King Vidor. Based on a novel by Russian-born, American writer and philosopher Ayn Rand, the movie advocates libertarianism through the figure of an uncompromising, highly individualistic architect. Rand's firm belief in rational self interest, economical prosperity through free markets as well as her abjection of public welfare make her the founder of objectivism as well as a committed spokeswoman of modern capitalism.

Projected in PLATFORM3's first of two exhibition spaces (180m2), THE FOUNTAINHEAD conveys a formal experiment: Société Réaliste systematically erased all characters from the original movie's footage, thus transforming the film into 111 minutes of pure architectural setting in total silence. Deprived of its most prominent layer – the fictional account – THE FOUNTAINHEAD discloses, almost palimpsest-like, the film's underlying labyrinthian relations between capitalism, Promethean architecture and doctrinaire modernism.

Deconstruction is at the core of this exhibition: to the processes that are at work at THE FOUNTAINHEAD corresponds a series of artworks displayed in PLATFORM3's central exhibition space (200m2): all along the walls, WATCHING OVER THE REICHSTAG (2010) revisits history by exhibiting step by step those (ever so slight) visual manipulations used for the sake of propaganda. Here, not only our most representative clichés of historical moments are put at stake, but our visual recognition of symbols is challenged by textual works using the typeface FUTURA FRAKTUR (2009), a hybrid of two of the most popular type fonts forbidden by the Nazis. Symbols certainly convey power in no matter what context: standing for an attempt to organise and control what is disordered and arbitrary by nature, they have allowed to shape unities such as nation states each with their own attributes in terms of language, flags, monuments, monetary systems and national anthems. Yet, NEW ALPHABETICAL ORDER (2009), SPECTRAL AEROSION (2010) and CARTOPHONY OF THE LAND OF THE FREE (2009) all aim at destabilising our well-established order for the sake of a critical revision of commonly accepted sets of symbols, be it monetary, geographic or political. Pushing this logic to its paroxysm, ZERO IMPACT (2010) deals with the striking dichotomy of symbol and anti-symbol, overthrowing it all for anarchy. COUNTERFORMISM (2009), based on the Hexatopia typographic pattern, and QUOTE END OF QUOTE (2010) suggest graphic rearrangements of common codes.

THE FOUNTAINHEAD AND OTHER ARTWORKS is to premiere at PLATFORM3 and will subsequently travel to Škuc Gallery in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Its presentation changes according to the specific space and time of display at each venue. Société Réaliste thus emphasises their process-oriented, interdisciplinary approach.

The exhibition is curated by Marlene Rigler in collaboration with Anja Lückenkemper and produced by PLATFORM3, together with Société Réaliste. THE FOUNTAINHEAD AND OTHER ARTWORKS receives substantial support from Allianz Kulturstiftung Munich, whom PLATFORM3 wishes to thank in particular.

The video THE FOUNTAINHEAD has been produced by Jan van Eyck Academy, Maastricht and realised by Gregg Langlois, Paris.

Société Réaliste is a Parisian cooperative created by Ferenc Gróf and Jean-Baptiste Naudy in June 2004. It works with political design, experimental economy, territorial ergonomy and social engineering consulting. Polytechnic, it develops its production schemes through exhibitions, publications and conferences. Société Réaliste is represented by Galerie Martine Aboucaya (Paris) and Kisterem (Budapest).

Contact:
# Press contact PLATFORM3, Munich / www.platform3.de, christine.kaiser@platform3.de
# Tevž Logar, Škuc Gallery, Ljubljana / www.galerija.skuc-drustvo.si, galerija.skuc@guest.arnes.si
# Coopérative Société Réaliste, Paris / www.societerealiste.net, societerealiste@gmail.com