Exhibitions

French philosopher Michel Foucault claimed that power is not the result of institutions, but rather a kind of creative entity in and of itself, defining man in relation to himself, and organizing social relations. This entity spreads its wings over both rulers and ruled, in a complex network that determines the limits of power and its legal enforcement. In contemporary politics power operates as a "post-truth regime," using alternative facts, generalizations, and subtle manipulations to influence the public's emotions and thereby control public discourse. In this age, strong opinion matters more than facts.

The authentic identity at the heart of modern Western culture was formulated by numerous philosophers. The authentic individual, according to Friedrich Nietzsche, is the "Superman" (Übermensch), who rises above himself and replaces God as the creator of the universe. Martin Heidegger articulated the call for authenticity by placing man in a constant free movement toward self-realization, peaking in the individual's solitary confrontation with his own demise, which is nothingness. Jean-Paul Sartre defined the authentic man as he who is sentenced to liberty and acknowledges the void as the heart of his existential identity.

"Well-behaved women seldom make history," contended historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich in 1976, and feminist discourse enthusiastically adopted this statement. From its beginnings feminism sought to liberate itself from binding social mechanisms, by means of groundbreaking practices meant to subvert a reality of silence and compliance and replace it with one of speech and protest.

Bulgarian artist Boryana Rossa responds in her works to processes of globalization and the transition of post-Communist countries to a capitalist economy. She succeeds in reclaiming control of her body and positions herself as a woman along the shifting axes of gender, nationality, politics, and economy. Rossa defines herself as a heterosexual woman with a queer identity.

Iris Kensmil's exhibition is part of a project that represented the Netherlands in 2019 at the Venice Biennale. In many senses the Biennale is an important arena for defining the place of art in the context of ideas of citizenship and nationality. The installation Kensmil presented there, called The Measurement of Presence, was created in collaboration with Remy Jungerman.

Artist Sharon Lockhart is a photographer and film director, known for the long-term projects she creates based on in-depth research, often in cooperation with communities. Her films are meticulously planned, characterized by freeze-frame shots or minimal camera movements. They present people, places, and events related to daily routine.

Multidisciplinary artist Rona Yefman often engages with issues of gender and feminine representation. Her art includes long-term collaborations with radical personalities who dictate the absurd and iconic images of our time. She is particularly interested in photography. According to Yefman, the camera allows things to happen.

This exhibition is based on Yael Meiry's artist's book, Doing Right by You, published in 2018. The book is based on an archive containing about 150 photographs, in which the artist photographed themself, the people close to them, and the spaces around them. As in other projects, Meiry uses low-tech technologies alongside digital media.

Much has been written on the subject of feminist solidarity, as a formative value that provides the political subject with a secure base from which to promote social struggles in various arenas. The concept of "solidarity," in its various meanings, has served in recent years as a framework for discussions in the feminist community. The call for solidarity is based upon the demand to dismantle supposedly competition in relations between women.