18-03-2006 No title, HENK BOVERHOFF - Le Mepris

Le Mépris (or) Contempt. In Le Mépris Voulon wanted to show 'the construction of fear' and the conscious creation of a sense of 'loss of identity'. The 'postmodern' merging and intertwining of fiction & reality - characteristic of both contemporary art and the real world - has created an ambiguous atmosphere. While Godard preluded this ambiguity in the film, it already seemed to be the time for further analysis. Le Mépris evokes the anonymous atmosphere typical of a border crossing in general. To this end, Voulon had designed Mediamatic's exhibition space on the model of an airport space. Not specifically a departure hall, or a transitorium, but rather an arrival hall. Uncertain of its character, this environment is an undefined zone, a space as a metaphor for our contemporary world. Here we ended up in a no man's land, not real but metaphorical and symbolic. It immediately reminded us of the shocking images from the torture centers of the U.S. Army in Guantanamo Bay. In order for the visitor to recognise the repugnant military tactics and methods, the monitors here showed no arrival or departure times. Here they were video works by a group of international artists who did not hide their criticism of Bush and his bellicose performance. Tightly juxtaposed, these visual statements expressed the anxiety and anger about the invasion and occupation of Iraq. But as visual sound bites they also reflected the problematic abundance and complexity of the mass media.