Author Description

BAK, basis voor actuele kunst, presents Soft Target. War as a Daily, First-Hand Reality - Undercurrents, on view through December 18, 2005. A project with a multi-faceted format on the issue of how war is reflected upon in contemporary artistic practice consisting of an exhibition Soft Target. War as a Daily, First-Hand Reality, and a series of weekly lectures, conversations, screenings, and performances entitled Undercurrents. Undercurrents is a series of weekly talks with artists, curators, and theorists on subjects that touch upon the underlying forces behind the current state of warfare, including how we define "war," the impact of the media and its manipulations, and what role critical artistic and intellectual practices may play in addressing these issues. Through presentations, lectures, conversations, screenings, and performances, the participants in Undercurrents discuss issues such as fear, the rhetoric of war, agonistic democracy, and notions of the enemy, security, and biopower from the perspective of their own critical practices. Undercurrents is curated by Danila Cahen, Binna Choi, and Maria Hlavajova.