Broken. Slapstick, Comedy and Black Humor
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Humor is when you laugh anyway. But how far can you go if the feelings of others are hurt? This exhibition in Haus der Kunst with works from Sammlung Goetz focuses on this conflict.
Sammlung Goetz in Haus der Kunst
With Paweł Althamer, Francis Alÿs, John Bock, Olaf Breuning, Nathalie Djurberg, Peter Fischli & David Weiss, Rodney Graham, Mike Kelley, Jochen Kuhn, Mirko Martin, Aernout Mik, Tony Oursler, Paul Pfeiffer, Robin Rhode and Julian Rosefeldt.
'Schadenfreude' is profoundly human. Sigmund Freud himself described the release that humor could cause. In the film and entertainment industry, the popular genres of slapstick, comedy and black humor have developed because they enable us to laugh over the mishaps of others.
The seventh exhibition in Haus der Kunst will present 15 works of media art from Sammlung Goetz that explore this border and at times consciously exceed it. The title of the exhibition, Broken refers to the video installation of the same name by Tony Oursler. It shows a male doll whose head is stuck between two chairs. Although the body is only indicated by plaid fabric, the situation seems very real because the facial expressions projected onto the doll's face are those of a living person.
Can we still laugh about this or not? Many of the works in this exhibition raise just this question. Often, all laughter sticks in the viewer's throat and turns into dismay or compassion upon seeing other people be humiliated or harmed.
The international KunstFilmBiennale KINO DER KUNST took place in Munich from April 22 to 26, 2015. Therefore, the exhibition Broken. Slapstick, Comedy and Black Humor with media art from Sammlung Goetz was extended. Unfortunately, the eponymous work Broken by Tony Oursler was no longer available, because of its inclusion in another exhibition project. Presented in its place was Jochen Kuhn's film, Sunday 3 (2012).
Curated by Ingvild Goetz und Cornelia Gockel
