The Physiognomy of Power. Harun Farocki & Florentina Pakosta

In an extensive juxtaposition, this double exhibition focuses on the work of the German filmmaker Harun Farocki (1944 Nový Jicˇ ín, CZ—2014 Berlin, DE) and the Austrian graphic artist and painter Florentina Pakosta (1933 Vienna, AT).

Starting in the 1970s, the critical reflection on aspects of power became central to both artists’ work. Farocki’s video installations, essay films and documentaries investigate the mechanisms of the control and surveillance society, psychological manipulation through an omnipresent capitalist logic, and the role of digital visual media in warfare. Pakosta is a protagonist of the feminist avant-garde who addresses structures of patriarchal domination and power in her work by examining the male face of power through drawings and unmasking it in an at times surrealistic manner. Common to both practices is their focus on manifestations of an extreme exercise of power. One of the things they make apparent is that capitalism and patriarchy not only function in similar ways, but are also frequently interconnected. The exhibition is based on works held in the collection of the Generali Foundation and the Museum der Moderne Salzburg.

A comprehensive publication (German/English) has been published to accompany the exhibition. You can purchase this online HERE.