Wear a mask and your face grows to fit it
Group exhibition
29.08.25 – 01.11.25






























Fearing ridicule, the soldier in George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant acts according to what his way too big mask, the role as an imperialist, demands of him: he kills the gently grazing elephant for no reason. In doing so, he confirms what the many eyes on his back expect of him. He remains authentic. According to Erving Goffman, authenticity is the confirmation of what is expected. What complicates the matter is the strong belief of genuinely being that way. By following a historically evolved idea, we inevitably grow into it. Following Judith Butler, the body becomes the embodiment of an idea that is so deeply ingrained that we succumb to the illusion of being the idea. Within this illusion, smartly dressed, smooth-operating company employees enter the war room to answer unresolved questions regarding their corporate design. The house of cards that shelters the idea is maintained through joint presentation and protected against harmful influences: After 9/11, Emirates staged security and luxury. Kuoni continued to advertise its destinations with beaches, sea, sun, adventure, and local hospitality. Ideas, infrastructures, objects, and environments form a dramatic network that is unfolding impact and creating reality. In the chain of influential actors, the power of individuals is limited—even the most heroic resistance is a myth that can survive at most as an idea or in the form of a cowboy costume—but there are many possibilities for play. Welcome!
Artists
Jennifer Merlyn Scherler, Melanie Jame Wolf, Sebastián Dávila, Leon Höllhumer, Mati Jhurry, SPORT
Curators
Matthias Liechti, Valerie Keller
Download
Press release (PDF)
Location
For
Teichgässlein 31
4058 Basel
Switzerland
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Website
https://for-space.ch