Who are we, as individuals and as a society? What is it that defines our Identities? As individuals, we are constantly trying to establish affiliations to groups that are formed through culture, language and social class, nationality and origin, skin color, or Gender, among other things. The expression of individual identities is therefore affected by a variety of different aspects. What is enticing about identities is that although they generate a sense of Belonging in terms of a feeling of unity, this sense of belonging is simultaneously achieved through exclusion or marginalization. In recent years, these mechanisms have shaped the public discourse.
With the exhibition Sweet Lies. Rethinking Identity, the Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst presents contemporary positions that address different aspects of identity. The artworks on display make visible that identities are never static, but rather intertwine, overlap, and sometimes even contradict each other. The representations of identities are meant to illustrate that various social and personal aspects unite in the individual. The subtitle of the exhibition points to the temporary and fluid character of identities and also refers to the 2018 publication of the same name by philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah. The exhibition invites visitors to approach the fictions and constructions of identities in the six chapters Gender, Culture, Death, Language, Origin, and Personality: The invited artists take up these themes and enter into dialogue with highlights from the Ludwig Collection.
On view are paintings, graphics, installations, objects, sculptures, and videos of positions of invited artists and works from the Ludwig Collection.
Invited artists: Vivian Greven, Melike Kara, Kinke Kooi, Markues, Jannis Marwitz, Phung-Tien Phan, Megan Rooney, Morgaine Schäfer, Siggi Sekira, Slavs and Tatars, Theresa Weber, Raphael Weilguni and Viola Relle.
Artists of the Ludwig Collection: Jo Baer, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Klaus vom Bruch, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Chuck Close, Erró, Fang Lijun, Gilbert & George, Johannes Grützke, Renato Guttuso, Jean-Olivier Hucleux, Joan Jonas, Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt, Liang Dong, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Morris, Robert Rauschenberg, Ulrike Rosenbach, Twins Seven Seven, Sergej E. Volkov, Vadim Zakharov
Curated by Patrick C. Haas and Angela Theisen
With the generous support of the Peter and Irene Ludwig Foundation, Aachen, Germany
We cordially invite you to a weekend of free admission on
June 19 and 20, 2021
