Internationally renowned artists Monica Bonvicini and Sam Durant present their performance “Break it / Fix it” live and in public for the first time as part of the exhibition “Edvard Munch. Angst.”
Fear is a feeling that can either unleash energy or leave us paralyzed. It knows no social boundaries and affects all layers of society. Bonvicini and Durant address this ambivalence. The performance is based on their 2003 video work “Break it / Fix it,” which was first shown at their collaborative solo exhibition at the Vienna Secession. The video is a choreographed documentation of the destruction of a sculpture made from wooden letters spelling the word ANGST, which is then reassembled into a new work, forming a new word: FEAR.
The transformation from ANGST to FEAR can be understood as an ironic commentary on the relationship between the psychological and the physical experience. The playful, physical act of smashing, sawing, and rebuilding “same same but different” accompanied by slapstick-like gestures, reflects on creativity and freedom in the production of art.
For the performance, the sculpture ANGST will be removed from the current exhibition and reinstalled in its new form as FEAR in the gallery space, making the transformation visible there as well. The action will be carried out by performers at the Theatron at Theaterplatz in front of the museum.
The original video of the performance by Bonvicini and Durant is also on display in the museum as part of the sculptural work.
Performance on 13 September, 3pm in front of the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz Theaterplatz, 09111 Chemnitz.
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