DAU Exhibition Opens in Paris Amid Controversy Over Ambiguous 'Experience'
On January 25, 2019, the DAU exhibition commenced in Paris at the Théâtre de la Ville, following a two-day postponement. It subsequently relocated to the Théâtre du Châtelet and the Centre Pompidou, continuing until February 17. Directed by Ilya Khrzhanovsky, a Russian filmmaker, the exhibition delves into the life of Lev Davidovich Landau, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who led the Institute for Physical Problems in Moscow starting in 1937. From 2009 to 2011, Khrzhanovsky recreated the institute in Kharkov, Ukraine, where 400 volunteers participated, resulting in 13 feature films and 700 hours of footage. The exhibition has drawn criticism for its ambitious claims, featuring film showings, a symphony orchestra, and a reimagined Soviet apartment, prompting discussions on voyeurism and nostalgia for totalitarian regimes.
Key facts
- DAU exhibition opened January 25, 2019 at Théâtre de la Ville, Paris, with two-day delay.
- Runs until February 17, 2019, also at Théâtre du Châtelet and Centre Pompidou.
- Project led by Russian filmmaker Ilya Khrzhanovsky.
- Based on physicist Lev Davidovich Landau, Nobel laureate and Stalin Prize winner.
- Institute reconstructed in Kharkov, Ukraine, replicating USSR life 1930s-1960s.
- 400 volunteers lived in institute between 2009 and 2011.
- 13 feature films and 700 hours of rushes produced.
- Exhibition includes film screenings, symphony orchestra, reconstructed communal apartment, and conversations with sages.
- Criticized for overpromising immersive experience and for ambiguous use of 'experience'.
- Funding ties to Cambridge Analytica and Russian businessman Sergei Adoniev.
- Critics question voyeurism and nostalgia for totalitarian regime.
Entities
Artists
- Ilya Khrzhanovsky
- Lev Davidovich Landau
Institutions
- Théâtre du Châtelet
- Théâtre de la Ville
- Centre Pompidou
- Phenomen Film
- Cambridge Analytica
- Institute for Physical Problems
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Moscow
- Russia
- Kharkov
- Ukraine
Sources
- artpress —