In Case We Don’t Die – Bibi Katholm

Exhibition Curation : ‘In Case We Don’t Die’ is a series of international exhibitions curated by Bibi Katholm. So far there have been 5 international ICWDD group exhibitions –

ICWDD – V, Torrance Art Museum, Los Angeles C.A. 2013

ICWDD – IV, KPH Volume, Copenhagen 2011.

ICWDD – III, Helene Nyborg Contemporary, Copenhagen 2011.

ICWDD – II, Vegas Gallery, London 2010.

ICWDD – I, Chausseestraße 105, Berlin 2010.

(More exhibition info including participant list is posted at the bottom of the page.)

Work by Astrid Myntekær (DK)

In 1839, French artist Paul Delaroche famously declared, “from today, painting is dead.” Since then such statements have been repeated many times, yet we still have painting and we still have art. In the age of information and technology overload, with our cultural globalisation and relativism we appear to have lost all faith in the power of things like art and philosophy, at least in some parts of the world. Have we somehow misplaced the meaning of our existence? While most contemporary voices are preoccupied with a dark view of the future and the meaning of art, ‘In Case We Don’t Die’ asks the question: What if creativity and art is the only thing that can save us?

‘Ceremony at the Pier’ by Bibi Katholm (DK)

“ These days potential catastrophes are everywhere you look. The world is so full of danger, threats, stress, overload and insecurity, and most of the time it feels very likely that we will all be dead soon, the only question is when and how, exactly? Assuming that we, against all odds, survive the terrifying pitfalls of the future that lies ahead, is creativity going to be the thing that saves us? Will our imagination become an escape route, a place where we can hide and pretend to be alive for real, or will it be the one thing that forcefully confronts us with the truth and gives us the strength needed to make a change? What kind of art would a generation of unlikely survivors produce, and where would they find their inspiration? What influence would surviving a catastrophe have on our values, ethics, and our perception of truth, and how might this influence visualize itself in the art of the future? ”

This extract from the original exhibition proposal for the ICWDD project raises some important questions in relation to the connection between contemporary art and social politics and our collective concerns about a future that seems to appear more threatening with each passing day.

ICWDD, KPH Volume, Copenhagen 2011. Work by Shane Bradford

The following quote by UK artist Shane Bradford is his answer to the question I’ve posed by creating the ICWDD project:

” …we need a different type of illusionist to recreate the emptiness where the pure event of form can take place’ – Baudrillard
The apocalypse foretold in In Case We Don’t Die is a blessing. It pre-constructs Baudrillard’s necessary void, creating the conditions where possibilities of newness can begin to be tested. What once was perceived as post-modern complexity is now revealed instead, as a cancellation and painting can begin again, without the shackles of modernist preconception and expectation. Finally, the failure of painting is matched by the breakdown of society and painting is free… “

ICWDD, KPH Volume, Copenhagen 2011. Work by Alan-Ruiz

Exhibition view ICWDD, Vegas Gallery, London 2010.

Exhibition view ICWDD, Vegas Gallery, London 2010.

Work by Alex Hudson (UK)

Viva Ultra by Bibi Katholm

By creating ICWDD I was trying to locate all the little acupuncture points of anxiety that come together to form a pattern of nervous energy that seems to run through our late capitalist society like an electric current or a shooting pain. I wanted to instigate a discussion about future creative spaces, temporary creative communities, the current relationship between art and social politics, solidarity and the potential of the shared creative process.