It is commonly agreed that many politicians would have died from combustion and that mean kids at school would have had a much harder stand. But if liars‘ pants really caught fire, would artists get away unscathed? „Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth“ – a famous quote attributed to an even more infamous person – might save the artist’s ass. Although it would be unjust to equate artworks with the brutal tools of propaganda, the question of make-believe remains a central theme in cultural production.
When Joseph Beuys plummeted from the sky in World War 2, was saved by nomads and hence embarked on a miraculous journey to renew art, we knew this was built on the foundation of a lie. But not only the most deliberate myth creations underline the art world’s intricate relationship to the semi-true. Artists create fictions that demand to be believed and call into question what can be claimed. Within the hermetically sealed space of art production, there is no „true“ or „false“, just blurred images of what has (not) occurred. The exhibition „pants on fire“ invites you to come and see with your own eyes.
With Kaja Clara Joo, Dejan Kaludjerović, Marlene Lahmer, Estefanía Peñafiel Loaiza, Nazanin Mehraein, Lara Reichmann, Hector Schofield, Nedko Solakov, Kai Trausenegger, Kay Walkowiak, Ramiro Wong. A Project by Klaus Speidel supported by Transarts / DieAngewandte
Exhibition: Pants on Fire. Art and other fictions.
Krinzinger Projekte
Schottenfeldgasse 45 / 1070 Wien
Opening: Thursday, June 4th, 5-7pm
Exhibition: June 4th – 17th
