The Monuments I Chapter 5 I Boys & Guns
29.04.2022
7pm - 11pm
Kühlhaus Berlin
When was the last time you cheered for a politician the way you’d cheer at a concert? It’s true, it has been a while and we might have forgotten a bit about it–that thrill of an inspirational group experience. But what we really need is just about three seconds to fall right back into it.
Expression helps us understand and define who we are and how we (co)-exist. And a work of art is a creative act that inspires, rather than dictates or mandates, no matter which medium, color, or material is used. It does not merely reflect or comment on reality. It creates reality. If we fail as responsible social beings, we fail as humans.
In a world of prevailing self-glorification as means of social assertion and realization, narcissism rightly should be ridiculed, stripped down to its shallow bones as mere self-promotion. Especially since it has become synonymous with contemporary politicians and politics.
Under the umbrella of restrictions due to Covid -19, many authoritarian leaders have launched widespread assaults on democracy as we know it, assaults that threaten to roll back decades of progress.
The patriarchal backlash has played out across the full spectrum of authoritarian regimes, from totalitarian dictatorships to party-led autocracies to illiberal democracies headed by strongmen. Racism, misogyny, and authoritarianism are not just common comorbidities but mutually reinforcing ills. While the urgency of global warming demands an imminent and collaborative worldwide act, the world seems more divided than ever.
So, when was the last time you cheered for a politician? Politicians have never been as exposed as they are today nor have there ever been as many tools for self-promotion. Narcissism is a vicious beast. Constant attention-seeking, instead of conscious and responsible leadership, nurtures dangerous emotions and thought processes. Too often power corrupts. Losing a grip on the masses leads men to fuel themselves through jealousy. And the older they get, these soggy balled men, the more they try to compensate. By doing that, they destroy lives.
Fuck this.
We can all go to the dark pockets of our minds and formulate destructive thoughts. One can make really meaningful art that emerges from envy, hate, and aggression. But politics? Death, pain, and destruction. We can all create realities. Which one do you choose? A loud voice that erupts from frustration rather than inspiration?