Exhibition 'Other Mechanisms' at Secession Vienna critiques machine regimes through diverse artworks

The exhibition 'Other Mechanisms' at Secession in Vienna ran from 29 June to 2 September 2018, curated by Anthony Huberman. It featured works by artists including Danh Vo, Harun Farocki, Zarouhie Abdalian, Nairy Baghramian, and Lutz Bacher, exploring themes of utility, violence, and bureaucratic rationality. Huberman's catalogue essay framed the show as contesting the 'regime of the machine,' drawing on philosophical references from Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari, Jacques Ellul, Maurizio Lazzarato, Meredith Meredith, and Lewis Mumford. Danh Vo's 'Twenty-Two Traps' (2012) displayed rusted animal traps on the floor, evoking threats of maiming or torture. Harun Farocki's two-channel video 'Serious Games III: Immersion' (2009) examined virtual reality used for soldier training and PTSD therapy. Zarouhie Abdalian's 'Joint (ii)' (2016) and Nairy Baghramian's 'Scruff of the Neck (UL 11, F)' (2016) presented clinical, impractical sculptures, with Baghramian's aluminum pieces hanging at the entrance. Lutz Bacher's chalkboard works from 2015, placed on movable dividers, referenced bureaucratic systems. The exhibition challenged Silicon Valley's technological optimism, suggesting intrinsic value beyond data management, though it did not propose a new narrative. The layout in Secession's labyrinthine space emphasized disorganization and friction among the pieces.