A refrain is a repeated phrase inserted throughout a song or poem, which is less to do with conveying a central theme directly, but more to do with creating an image through repetition. The recurring verse is, however, meant not only to give a formal pleasure or to complement the content, but also to reveal the most political intention in the most artistic way, as in a Greek tragedy, whose chorus speaks for the audience or produces a satire on characters. The title Tireless Refrain is derived from the fact that the artist's practice could be reminiscent of the role that the refrain plays in terms of generating politicalness simply through repetition. This exhibition aims to put together those works that seek to make a social critique by repeating and reiterating a specific act.Dealing with political matters, other artists choose to disclose hierarchical orders without reservation orrefer to notions of power metaphorically, in a situation that does not lookpolitical at all. The aforementioned artists relate to politics, while the following artists to the political. The parody of an educational televisionprogram demonstrates the artificiality of instruction and contemporary art (Beom Kim); the entrance walls collected from different exhibitions become the artist's work itself (Soosung Lee); physical arrangements in the gallery space contribute to exposing social absurdities (Wan Lee); the video about conditions for perfect table manners, which is edited and fast-forwarded, lays bare the hyperbole of conventions (Ana Hušman); the oppressive effect of immigration interviews is acted out in the form ofchurch mass (Nadia Kaabi-Linke). All these works are concerned with the preconceptions that are at work unconsciously in art institutions but hard to do away with, which are made to resurface, sometimes to become a travesty, in the works of these artists.
Whether it be the penetration into politics itself, or the micropolitics of making visible the invisible power, the above artists have it in common that their being political arises from the fidelity to sensory perception. It is expected that this exhibition will show how the kind of art that is not subordinate to politics could bring in a critical perspective on realities.
Artists: Beom Kim, Mixrice, Sanghee Song, Santiago Sierra, Francis Alÿs, Melik Ohanian, Soosung Lee, Wan Lee, Nadia Kaabi-Linke, Ana Hušman . Curated by Sohyun Ahn.
