Julius von Bismarck. Immer noch der Lauf der Dinge

About

In recent years, Julius von Bismarck has attracted a lot of attention within the international art scene through his artistic and technical innovative approach to the aesthetics of politics and nature. Most recently, in 2017, he was honored with the renowned Art Prize Junge Stadt sieht junge Kunst (A Young City Sees Young Art) by the city of Wolfsburg, where his solo exhibition Gewaltenteilung can be seen in the Städtischen Galerie until the 3rd of June.

At Gallery Weekend, Julius von Bismarck invites gallery visitors to become part of his artistic research process under the title One Solution Revolution: the entire floor of the gallery is being converted into a treadmill – it will be impossible to view the works at a standstill because the virtual standstill can only be achieved by uniform movement. Visitors are encouraged to experience the endless movement, albeit not alone, but collectively at the same pace.

The never-ending movement is already familiar in von Bismarck’s work. But in the performance Ecocentric System (2015) it was the artist himself who spent nearly a week sitting on a concrete wheel that turned so fast around his own axis, that for him the outside world was barely recognizable. The artist, surrounded by people, could hardly perceive the world outside his system and inevitably everything began to revolve around himself.

Now there is a change of perspective and von Bismarck takes the audience into view. It creates a whole new viewing situation that does not tolerate passivity. Whoever does not join the ductus of the movement cannot experience this ‘course of things’. Everyone walks together, side by side, with each other. Similar to a demonstration, a temporary group is created here that marches in the same direction – it stands still.
In the same space you will be able to see Julius von Bismarck’s new video series Tiere sind Engel mit Fell.