JUST DO IT. BIOPOLITICAL BRANDING
OPENING: March 10th, 2011, 19:00
Curator: Simina Neagu
Participants: Freee (UK), Center for Tactical Magic (US), Foundland (NL), Metahaven (NL), Bureau of Melodramatic Research (RO)
The city presents itself as a semiotic jungle, laden with logos that guide your path through the use of "soft power". No longer compelled to act according to set values, the citizen-cum-consumer is persuaded to assert its own identity by consumption. But how can logos or symbols exert such influence and most importantly, are we to accept this influence as wholly positive? In order to answer these questions and analyze the mechanisms through which corporate organizations and the prevalent phenomenon of branding shape the social imaginary, artists and researchers choose different strategies of appropriation or resistance. From Metahaven's analysis of visual identity to Freee's critique of advertising, this exhibition tries to act as a toolkit for operating in a neo-liberal environment. Far from being a visual manifestation of anti-corporate activism, the presented works fluctuate between protest and over-identification, engaging the viewer in a variety of discourses.
Publication: "Just do it. Biopolitical Branding" with texts by Foundland, Simina Neagu and xurban_collective. Edited by PAVILION - journal of politics and culture, English/Romanian, 48 pages, B/W, softcover.
Image: Freee, Advertising Wants To Convert Our Desire For A Better Life Into A Desire To Buy Something, billboard in metro station in Bucharest, various dimensions, 2008. Courtesy of the artist.
