Evil Clowns
27 Sep 2014 - 08 Mar 2015
EVIL CLOWNS
27 September 2014 - 8 March 2015
Curated by Inke Arns
Opening: Friday, 26 September 2014, 7 pm
with a performance by Super A: Bad Joke (White Lies)
‘Dangerous clowns are standing by the side of the road’, sang the Düsseldorf band Der Plan as early as 1979. The exhibition Evil Clowns explores the often disquieting figure of the clown, which has made an “uncanny” career in recent years. Today (evil) clowns appear in a wide range of contexts including (anti-)advertisement (Ronald McDonald and various spoofs), political activism (The Yes Men), TV series (Krusty in The Simpsons), horror films and Hollywood productions (Killer Clowns from Outer Space; Pennywise in Stephen King’s It; the Joker as Batman’s opponent), pop music (Der Plan, The Residents) and in contemporary art. The masked jester makes us laugh – but behold: There’s Nothing Funny About a Clown in the Moonlight (Lon Chaney). This was again demonstrated recently by the Northampton Clown. The international exhibition Evil Clowns at Hartware MedienKunstVerein explores this ambivalent character. ’Send in the clowns!’ (Frank Sinatra)
As part of the exhibition Evil Clowns HMKV cooperates with
Jeu de Paume in Paris, who have commissioned new work by Constant Dullaart (NL): "High Retention, Slow Delivery!!" (2014)
With works by: Anonymous, Marion Auburtin (FR), Blue Noses (RU), Barbara Breitenfellner (DE), The Cacophony Society (US), Kimberly Clark (NL), Deichkind (DE), Constant Dullaart (NL), George Grosz (DE), Guerrilla Girls (US), Insane Clown Posse, the Joker, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Krusty, Laibach (SI), Renzo Martens (NL), the Northampton Clown, Novi kolektivizem (SI), Ronald McDonald, Pennywise, Der Plan (DE), Pogo, Abner Preis (IL/US/NL), Pussy Riot (RU), The Residents (US), Roee Rosen (IL), Aura Rosenberg (US/DE), Christoph Schlingensief (DE), Cindy Sherman (US), Super A (DE), Jeffrey Vallance (US), The Yes Men (US).
The Cacophony Society selection was curated by Marie Lechner.
On the occasion of the exhibition a book will be published in January 2015 containing essays by Inke Arns, Mark Dery, Judith Funke and Marie Lechner.
27 September 2014 - 8 March 2015
Curated by Inke Arns
Opening: Friday, 26 September 2014, 7 pm
with a performance by Super A: Bad Joke (White Lies)
‘Dangerous clowns are standing by the side of the road’, sang the Düsseldorf band Der Plan as early as 1979. The exhibition Evil Clowns explores the often disquieting figure of the clown, which has made an “uncanny” career in recent years. Today (evil) clowns appear in a wide range of contexts including (anti-)advertisement (Ronald McDonald and various spoofs), political activism (The Yes Men), TV series (Krusty in The Simpsons), horror films and Hollywood productions (Killer Clowns from Outer Space; Pennywise in Stephen King’s It; the Joker as Batman’s opponent), pop music (Der Plan, The Residents) and in contemporary art. The masked jester makes us laugh – but behold: There’s Nothing Funny About a Clown in the Moonlight (Lon Chaney). This was again demonstrated recently by the Northampton Clown. The international exhibition Evil Clowns at Hartware MedienKunstVerein explores this ambivalent character. ’Send in the clowns!’ (Frank Sinatra)
As part of the exhibition Evil Clowns HMKV cooperates with
Jeu de Paume in Paris, who have commissioned new work by Constant Dullaart (NL): "High Retention, Slow Delivery!!" (2014)
With works by: Anonymous, Marion Auburtin (FR), Blue Noses (RU), Barbara Breitenfellner (DE), The Cacophony Society (US), Kimberly Clark (NL), Deichkind (DE), Constant Dullaart (NL), George Grosz (DE), Guerrilla Girls (US), Insane Clown Posse, the Joker, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Krusty, Laibach (SI), Renzo Martens (NL), the Northampton Clown, Novi kolektivizem (SI), Ronald McDonald, Pennywise, Der Plan (DE), Pogo, Abner Preis (IL/US/NL), Pussy Riot (RU), The Residents (US), Roee Rosen (IL), Aura Rosenberg (US/DE), Christoph Schlingensief (DE), Cindy Sherman (US), Super A (DE), Jeffrey Vallance (US), The Yes Men (US).
The Cacophony Society selection was curated by Marie Lechner.
On the occasion of the exhibition a book will be published in January 2015 containing essays by Inke Arns, Mark Dery, Judith Funke and Marie Lechner.