A Closed Society

Imprisonment is a condition of extreme psychological and physical distress which has been the subject of many artworks in past years. The KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin presented an exhibition titled "A Closed Society" for which it collected and commissioned works by more than twenty internationally renowned artists from twelve countries around the world.
The organized detainment of citizens by the state is an important issue - even in democracies. How do we counter the increasing number of inmates? What is our opinion concerning partially privatized prisons and the legitimacy of torture? How does punishment change people? What do imprisonment, isolation and torture mean to inmates and what kind of impact do these have on society? The artworks in the exhibition addressed these and other questions regarding arrest, exclusion and loss of freedom. An extensive educational programme accompanied the exhibition and discussed its themes and content.

Artistic director: Susanne Pfeffer
Artists: Manon de Boer (NL), Robert Bresson (F), Hans-Peter Feldmann, Miroslaw Kijowicz (PL), Angela Melitopoulos, Gianni Motti (I), Chloe Piene (US), Wolfgang Plöger, Jeroen de Rijke / Willem de Rooij (NL), Gregor Schneider, Norbert Schwontkowski, Taryn Simon (USA), Fiona Tan (ID), Clemens von Wedemeyer

Venue and schedule:
28 Sept. 2008 - 16 Nov. 2008 KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin
(Vernissage: 27 Sept. 2008, 5 to 10 p.m.)