Bankleer's 'Taumelnde Leere' Premieres at MAXXI

The artist duo bankleer (Kasböck / Leitner), active since 1999 in Berlin, works at the intersection of sculpture, performance, text, and video. They create 'sculptural performances' for public spaces, galleries, biennials, and events, using art to respond to social, political, and historical issues. During a residency at Villa Massimo in Rome, they produced their new film 'Taumelnde Leere' (Staggering Void), shot between winter 2020 and spring 2021. The film premiered on June 24, 2021, at the MAXXI – National Museum of 21st Century Arts. It depicts an emptied, quiet urban space where three large sculptural heads of Angela Merkel, Mario Draghi, and Dutty Boukman accompany performers along a walkway. Their unsettling and grotesque presence alludes to the role of contemporary financial systems in shaping lives.