With Criminal Energy – Art and Crime in the 21st Century

When it comes to testing the limits of propriety and permissibility, artists and criminals might be the only ones in society willing to go to the extreme. Could there perhaps be parallels between artists and criminals – as the surrealists proposed – in that both groups are madly creative and seemingly intent at ignoring conventions and breaking taboos with criminal energy?
The theme of violence was the focus of this exhibition which attempted to identify the possible mutual impact and differentiation in the relationship between art and crime. Nineteen international artists presented installations, objects, performances, videos, photography and documents. Their artistic interventions and social provocation had pushed them to the limits of the law. The artists depicted physical injury, instigated disobedience, simulated illegal trade, desecrated icons for artistic purposes, etc. The central question of the exhibition was: what do artists achieve by breaking taboos, by transforming repressive force into real aggression or by acting crazy? The project was supplemented by an extensive accompanying programme and a multi-part event series.

Artistic director: Frank Motz, Artists: Tania Bruguera (CU), Lourival Cuquinha (BR), Brock Enright (US), Florian Göttke, Ulla Karttunen (FI), Ivan Moudov (BG), Dorota Nieznalska (PL), Magda Sayed (US), Adam Tellmeister (CH) and others