Hito Steyerl's Liquidity Inc. and Duty Free Art at Berlin's KOW Gallery
Hito Steyerl's video installation, Liquidity Inc. (2014), is currently exhibited at Galerie KOW in Berlin from September 17 to December 5, 2015. The piece narrates the experiences of Jacob Wood, a former analyst at Lehman Brothers and kickboxer, employing computer animation to delve into themes of financial liquidity, capital movement, and climate change. Wood's voiceover connects his dual careers, while the installation contrasts kickboxing, finance, and technology. In the basement, three augmented lecture-performances utilize PowerPoint and video clips to engage with political issues. Duty Free Art (2015) critiques the intersection of art, the arms trade, and neoliberal finance, focusing on Syria's proposed National Museum. Steyerl questions art's commodification and the influence of aesthetic perfection on political discourse, similar to the themes in Factory of the Sun.
Key facts
- Hito Steyerl's exhibition runs from 17 September to 5 December 2015 at Galerie KOW in Berlin
- Liquidity Inc. (2014) tells the story of former Lehman Brothers analyst Jacob Wood who became a professional kickboxer after the 2008 financial crisis
- The video uses water as a metaphor for financial liquidity, capital flow, martial arts, and climate change disasters
- Duty Free Art (2015) examines connections between art systems, arms industry, and neoliberal finance
- The lecture mentions the Louvre, British Museum, and Rem Koolhaas in relation to a proposed National Museum in Syria
- Steyerl's work addresses financial crisis and climate change while employing post-internet aesthetics
- The exhibition includes three augmented lecture-performances in the gallery basement
- Factory of the Sun, another Steyerl work, drew attention at the 2015 Venice Biennale
Entities
Artists
- Hito Steyerl
- Jacob Wood
- Rem Koolhaas
Institutions
- Galerie KOW
- Venice Biennale
- Lehman Brothers
- Louvre
- British Museum
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- Vietnam
- Venice
- Italy
- Syria
- Geneva
- Switzerland