Johann Arens's Installation Recreates Closed Ethiopian Internet Café in Tottenham

The exhibition by Johann Arens showcases an installation that incorporates equipment from the now-defunct Internet Centre & Habesha Grocery in Tottenham (2013). Within the basement, visitors will find six desks equipped with PCs, furniture from the 1990s, and various printed materials, including legal advice posters. A sign has been altered by patrons who added chewing gum, transforming it into a neo-dada piece. Additional items on display consist of coffee cups, walking sticks, turmeric sacks repurposed as mouse mats, and Ethiopian animal figurines. Some components are arranged as sculptures, such as a stack of coffee beans accompanied by a toy wildebeest. The offline PCs reveal previous search histories. Arens critiques Western technology while asserting that Internet cafés still serve as vital social spaces, despite their perceived obsolescence. The exhibition prompts reflection on the future of Internet cafés, hinting at their potential in educational settings. This summary was originally published in ArtReview in March 2014.