EXHIBITION

Duh? Art & Stupidity

Focal Point Gallery, Essex, Alresford, 11/10/2015 - 03/26/2016

Elmer Square, Southend-on-Sea

ABOUT

‘Duh? Art & Stupidity’ is a group exhibition featuring existing and previously unseen works by around thirty artists, including Tariq Alvi, BANK, Bonnie Camplin, Judith Hopf, Larry Johnson, Erik van Lieshout, Lily van der Stokker, Annika Ström and Andy Warhol.

The exhibition looks at stupidity as a subject and a tactic of art making, with a particular focus on its relationship to the politics and performance of identity. High culture is meant to keep its audience from being stupid, but artists have repeatedly drawn upon stupidity, or playing stupid, as a form of dissidence, irreverence or as a means to cast off received thinking.

To work from a position of stupidity would appear to be a good way to counter knowingness and intellectual superiority, but how can artists adopt stupidity as a strategy without turning it into cleverness? Even if you don't play stupid, how do you make art about stupidity without declaring yourself to be smart? If there are forms of intellectualism that, through being inflexible and unresponsive, appear stupid, then what exactly is stupidity anyway?

Developed from Paul Clinton's research into stupidity and identity.

'Duh? Art & Stupidity' will open with a launch event at the gallery on Saturday 7 November, 6.00pm to 8.00pm


 

For More Information

APT ARTISTS ON VIEW

Erik van Lieshout

Share this Exhibition: