Pickpocket

Curated by Katharina Dunst and Boris Rebetez

The exhibition Pickpocket at Kunst Raum Riehen sheds light on the figure of the thief in all its diverse characteristics and questions its proximity to art.

Thieves take what does not belong to them. In order to do this unnoticed, the thief must proceed secretly and anonymously, unlike the robber, who moves at eye level with his opponent. He must be a keen observer, analyze behavior, take advantage of situations, be alert to inattentiveness.

The exhibition Pickpocket illuminates the figure of the thief as a character who resides in close proximity to our being and having. As an uncanny shadow, he moves between us, knows our absence, respects little. By coveting something that another possesses, a close relationship unfolds that ends in a collision of intimacy and abysmal coolness. He is characterized by interest in and resistance to possession; on the one hand, he is a cold desire, if he is seen as an intruder into the private sphere, and on the other, a critical figure who does not accept the legitimacy of prevailing conditions. In earlier times, theft was not considered an offense against property, but an offense against God, which in older cultures was punishable by death.

However, it is not so much the delinquent that is the subject of the exhibition Pickpocket, but rather the conditions of ownership and power and the specific conclusions drawn by the figure of the thief. For it is precisely in the case of disruption that norms recognized as normal, such as the distribution of goods, are called into question. In disrupting or subverting, the thief coincides with a central role of art. With works of art that relate to themes such as wealth, desire, happiness and justice, personal status and ownership become a public issue.