Transparencies

The globalised world appears both transparent and opaque at the same time. On one hand, modern life is characterised by the desire for more transparency, for example, in politics. Yet on the other, people constantly lament the loss of privacy as a result of the unrestricted availability of information. The Kunstverein Nürnberg and the Kunstverein Bielefeld hosted a joint exhibition which examined the phenomenon of transparency, which they presented simultaneously at their respective venues. Various media links integrated into the artworks have cross-referenced both exhibitions and allowed visitors at one exhibition venue to perceive what was happening at the other.
The artistic works addressed our fascination with the transparency of the world around us, supported by algorithms and data collection. However, they also touched on the misgivings people have towards a “Society of Transparency” (Byung-Chul Han) and reflected on the ambivalence of the term “transparency”. The exhibition has been supplemented by an academic conference, a joint website and catalogue.

Artistic directors: Thomas Thiel, Simone Neuenschwander (CH)
Artists: Neil Beloufa (FR), Juliette Blightman (GB), Ryan Gander (GB), Calla Henkel & Max Pitegoff (US), David Horvitz (US), Metahaven (NL), Katja Novitskova (EE) u.a.