¡Patria o Libertad!
19 February - 08 May 2011
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| | Johanna
Reich (1977, Minden) proposes a simple but challenging performance:
dressed in black, red, and yellow like the colours of the German
national flag, she paints the wall and the monitor with the same
colours. At a certain point, Reich climbs onto the monitor and
disappears partially into the painting. Her ‘monument’ is a metaphor of
how individuality has to be sacrificed in response to a shared
collective identity. Monument, 2009, video projection, 5:45 |
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¡PATRIA O LIBERTAD!
On Patriotism, Immigration and Populism
19.02 - 08.05 2011
Before Fidel Castro came to power, Cuban coins bore the image of the
Cuban national hero, Jose Marti, and the inscription, ‘Fatherland and
Liberty’. Castro changed that saying to ‘Fatherland or Death’. Perhaps
our choice today really is between ‘Fatherland and Liberty’: ¡Patria o
Libertad!
¡Patria o Libertad! is an exhibition with a critical perspective about
an important challenge of our time: the general rise of patriotism and
nationalism. Patriotism takes different forms, some of which are benign
and comforting, while others are disturbing in their intolerance. In a
time in which the combination of immigration, globalization and economic
recession is generating problems worldwide, it is important to take a
critical look at the concepts of patriotism and nationalism. The way we
engage with nationalism and patriotism is one of the greatest challenges
of our time. In the international group exhibition, ¡Patria o
Libertad!, contemporary artists use video works to investigate different
forms of patriotism.
The exhibition includes four segments:
Love Thy Anthem - includes a series of video art works whose subjects
are folk songs and other musical pieces that have important roles in
patriotic narratives.
The artists are Adel Abidin (Iraq/Finland), Nezaket Ekici
(Turkey/Germany), Karlo Ibarra (Puerto Rico), Kaoru Katayama
(Japan/Spain) and Santiago Sierra (Spain).
Fly Your Flag - several performances with leitmotifs in which the flag reappears as a patriotic accoutrement.
The artists are Marc Bijl (Netherlands), Ross Birrell (Scotland), Jen
DeNike (United States), Johanna Reich (Germany) and Krisdy Shindler
(Canada).
Honour the Hero - includes works that revolve around a range of heroes
and personalities with patriotic associations, past and present.
The artists are ANTUAN (Cuba/United States), Alexander Apóstol
(Venezuela/Spain), Ivän Candeo (Venezuela), DEMOCRACIA (Spain), Carlos
Motta (Columbia/United States) and Katri Walker (Scotland).
Tell Us a Story - investigates stories from the contemporary discourse about patriotism.
The artists are Maja Bajevic (Bosnia), Yael Bartana (Israel), Emilio
Chapela (Mexico), Elena Kovylina (Russia), Shahzia Sikander (Pakistan)
and José Angel Toirac (Cuba).
www.cobra-museum.nl
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