Quicksand

'Solid ground makes you think about where you are going, unstable surfaces make you think about what moves you now. Quicksand as a phenomenon is an exceptional condition in which sand becomes fluid. Quicksand is an exhibition that looks at the world as it undergoes significant political and social changes: a show that embraces many uncontrollable moments. The artists in this show neither have Utopian visions as vehicles for production, nor are they apocalyptic in their stance. What the artists have in common is a critical engagement with the present. The artworks presented in Quicksand reflect upon issues like the changing of regimes and the influence the media has on public consciousness, amongst others. These themes reflected in contemporary art mirror complex political situations of a world in flux. Instead of focusing on one particular region or sociopolitical problem, Quicksand looks at how artists from 13 different countries deal with notions of instability, uncertainty and provoke existential questions through their work. Renaud Auguste-Dormeuil challenges the notion of a safe distance from mediagenerated experiences of terrorism and safety; Jota Castro breaks personal and historical icons; Jenny Perlin translates appropriated texts on fear, uncertainty and the need for control in an American consumer society into fragile handwriting; Mircea Cantor reveals the changes occurring in Tirana through the mirror of demonstrators; Edgar Arcenaux makes non-linear timetables of historical prophesies for the future; Van Lieshout lives and reflects on normality in a mental hospital; Sulki Choi maps the frequency of political ideas in the news, while Jeppe Hein encourages the museum visitor to bear the consequences of experiencing art that changes your expectations of life. The participants of the Curatorial Training Programme 2003-2004 are Danila Cahen (Netherlands), Binna Choi (S. Korea), Bree Edwards (USA), Amiel Grumberg (France), Solvej Helweg Ovesen (Denmark) and Victor Palacios (Mexico).' (Press release De Appel)