Critical Writing Index

Aernout Mik

by Sholem Krishtalka

Border Crossings, June 2014, v. 33, no. 2, pp. 93-94

Aernout Mik's video installation Speaking in Tongues was exhibited at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin from November 15th, 2013, to January 12th, 2014. This piece was separated into two rooms - in one room, a multitude of television sets showed scenes of religious fervour, and in the other room, a double projection displayed people engaged in corporate team-building scenarios. The catch, the important take away of the installation, is that none of the images in either room are accompanied by sound. The lack of sound brings the seemingly disparate sets of images together, as they both show suited leaders presiding over formally attired groups, and as one moves between the rooms in the installation, one begins to see that these religious gatherings and corporate exercises are not so different after all - capitalism is a religion and religion is a big business. The larger theme of the work, however, according to article author Sholem Krishtalka, is that of mob mentality and mass hysteria.

ITEM 2014.022 – available for viewing in the Research Centre

Videos, Artworks and Artists Cited

Speaking in TonguesAernout Mik