EXHIBITION 2002

BOYS
from 2002-04-19 to 2002-06-16

Opening date: 2002-04-19

The Construction of Manhood

Eichler/Liotet: COWBOYS (Video still)

Who chooses to take on the role of a man, in which context, and why? What is great about boys and what is annoying? BOYS will show images of quite different forms of every-day, produced and constructed boy-/manhood.

Since the 60's feministic theories have been examining the meaning of the role of the woman in the public and thereby set the focus on the investigation of "femaleness". Recent theories, which describe the sex as a constructed social or cultural idea, play a crucial role.

Examples from different cultures (e.g. the Philippines) show that gender/sex is an allocation, that expresses itselves differently in each society and can not be reduced to the dichotomy of "male/female" — the given western-binary outlook.

So far maleness and its critical self-manifestation has been a rare topic. Only in the last years has the male become a current subject, be it in an emancipatory men's movement or as the content of scientific investigations in Gender or Queer Studies, cultural sciences or visual theories in the area of film, art, media and pop-theories. The exhibition BOYS will concentrate on different concepts of maleness. BOYS proceeds from a maleness, of which meanings and symbols are in constant motion and can change. BOYS inquires the association of maleness, and the association among men themselves. BOYS shows glamour and in addition uncertainties. BOYS shows the drama of maleness and its dissolution.

concept: Elke aus dem Moore

organisation: Shedhalle-Team, Eva Staehle

artists: Barbara Naegelin, Dominic Eichler/Ninon Liotet, Friedrich M. Ploch, Judith Düsberg, Keith Farquhar, Marc Matter, Michael Hilton, Sands Murray-Wassink