Mike Bouchet & Paul McCarthy

The two American artists Paul McCarthy and the Frankfurt-based Mike Bouchet have engaged in a vibrant artistic dialogue ever since their time together in Los Angeles. This was their joint international exhibition project which they developed for the Portikus exhibition hall in Frankfurt. The project drew analogies between the architecture of military installations and modern museums, and also highlighted the common bonds connecting power and cultural politics. How is culture used as a manipulative tool in the context of global power politics? And conversely, how do today’s cultural policies make use of certain tactics used in the political sphere? For their project, McCarthy und Bouchet gave the Portikus a complete overhaul involving a number of radical additions and modifications. Within, they presented a jointly developed sculptural installation of militarised cultural buildings, while large-scale works were shown in the space outside featuring military references visible from far away. With this globally relevant theme, the organisers hoped to reach a broad audience. In addition to lectures and studio tours at the Städelschule, the two artists documented their project in a jointly designed publication and stimulated international discussion by encouraging discourse among artists and public media.

Artistic director: Sophie von Olfers
Artists: Paul McCarthy (US), Mike Bouchet (US)