Nietzsche, Cyclists and Mushrooms

Curated by Heidi Brunnschweiler

The so-called "pictorial" or "iconic turn" in cultural theory (W.J.T. Mitchell) and art studies (G. Boehm) ushered in a shift towards the image at the beginning of the 1990s. After years of the predominance of language, there was a demand for the image to be revalued as a source of knowledge. From then on, art forms that operated with primarily visual means took center stage. Today, twenty years later, an increased preoccupation with language can be observed in contemporary art. Genre boundaries have become permeable, allowing text- and image-based practices to appear on an equal footing. Temporal exhibition forms have accentuated sound art or language performances. A figurative or pictorial moment in language is also emphasized more often. The exhibition explores different uses of language in contemporary art and examines the possible influence of the iconic turn. What has changed as a result compared to earlier forms of language-oriented art and what is being re-emphasized?