MODERNA MUSEET | Akateeminen Kirjakauppa

Eclipse, a darkening of the sun, is a metaphor for the ambivalent feelings towards the abandonment of Enlightenment that we experience today. The Enlightenment has been criticised as an alibi for colonialism and yet many mourn the vanishing ideals which they consider worth defending. In the wake of 9/11, the intolerance from both extremes of a polarised political field curbs freedom of speech and thought. Nevertheless, the demand on art to be politically correct and not to offend any group does not appear to limit the imagination of artists. The artists in this exhibition of international contemporary art look into the darkness - of our times, or more existentially, into the darkness of the human soul. Insisting on the right of art to be "incorrect", to use fiction's licence to speculate and to experiment, many of the works in Eclipse are characterised by absurdity and a dark sense of humour. Several of the most prominent contemporary artists on the international scene are participating: Lucas Ajemian, Michael Borremans, Nathalie Djurberg, Ellen Gallagher, Tom McCarthy with INS - International Necronautical Society, Paul McCarthy, Mike Nelson, Anri Sala, Dana Schutz.
Curator: Magnus af Petersens