Image: Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Enschede
The presentation is in collaboration with the art and technology festival GOGBOT. In a time when democracies worldwide are under pressure, the exhibition brings together 15 national and international artists to show how power and systems work, how images influence people, and what role people themselves play in democracy.
Jonas Staal’s work shows how propaganda can manipulate not only opinions but also create complete new realities. With detailed maps, Carlijn Kingma brings the hidden structures of society into view and proposes new ways of living together.
Through Peter Zegveld’s installations, the exhibition explores how mass behaviour and leadership can be attractive and, at the same time, dangerous. In the video ‘L’État c’est moi,’ Johannes Büttner brings into view which society can emerge when people turn away from democracy.
Through these and other artists, the exhibition makes visible how leadership is represented, how propaganda steers our thinking, and how systems shape society. It also makes visible what often remains unseen: the stories people tell one another about their democracy, and the ways in which those stories change.
Alongside the artworks and installations, an extensive public programme in collaboration with, among others, Bibliotheek Enschede, Pakhuis Oost and the University of Twente offers ample room for visitors to look, discover and think along. At the end of the visit, the exhibition asks visitors a single question: what does democracy mean to you?
