May 20, 2022 – September 30, 2022
Exhibition is curated by Olav Westphalen for the 25th Gabrovo Biennial – Economy of Means
Among the artists: Kasia Fudakowski
The stop motion animated film Word Count 09 – Gabrovo – The Humour of Capital (2022), made especially for the 25th Gabrovo Biennial, is the latest in a series of short films produced by Kasia Fudakowski since 2016. The Word Count film series takes as its premise the following scenario: In the near future, scientists discover a direct correlation between the dramatically rising sea-levels and the amount of words we speak. Delegates from all (co-operating) nations gather to find a solution and resolve that each citizen shall be limited to 433 words per day. This limit comes to be known as Cage Law, after John Cage’s composition 4’33’’. The films explore how this new, limiting law affects different cultures, characters, and scenarios. For Gabrovo, a city which boasts jokes as its main cultural capital, the word limit presents a huge challenge. Yet Gabrovians are also well known for their resourcefulness and this short film explores the radical measures taken to preserve Gabrovo’s status as the International Capital of Humour.
Curated by German-American artist and cartoonist Olav Westphalen, Sensitivity Training focuses on ambiguous and unresolved—even unfunny—humor. It is about comedy that doesn’t crash-land on a punchline, but rather remains suspended, floating across meanings, thereby undermining what we know. While contemporary art is increasingly expected to be intelligible, this show looks at the ways in which it fails to communicate clearly.
The exhibition Sensitivity Training also hosts a satellite exhibition at the Goethe Institut in Sofia, May 18 to June 17, 2022, which presents screenings of Fudakowski’s films Word Count 01 – 08.
Photo: Kasia Fudakowski, Word Count 09 – Gabrovo – The Humour of Capital, 2022; Video still from 4 min stop motion animation film; Courtesy of the Artist and ChertLüdde, Berlin