EXHIBITION 1995

Foreign Services
from 1995-05-23 to 1995-06-25

opening date: 1995-05-23 00:00

Positions in the postcolonial discussion

Postcolonial discourse generates positions by artists and theoreticians living in Europe and the United States who define their identity as one after colonialism, but due to their background and history, have reference to the "Third World". These positions are based in a reformulation of the relation between the cultural center and the periphery and a revision of the notion of marginality. It is significant, that all participants in "Foreign Services" choose to be personally present and take influence in the discussion rather than being re-presented once again. In workshops, talks and presentations they bring up issues of hybridity, orientalism, the ambiguities in cultural identity and (dis)integration. Several projects relate to the Middle East and Western representation of Islam and the "Orient". However, they raise their voices not only against the clichés of representation but also against the underlying methods and values of Western academia.

artists: Simin Farkhondeh (New York), Jayce Salloum (Beirut/New York), Gülsün Karamustafa (Istanbul), Mauricio Dias/Walter Riedweg (Basel), Sikay Tang (New York), Gisela Treichler (Zürich), Denise Daenzer (Indianermuseum Zürich)