Jonáš Strouhal: Bistro Affluenza @ Galeria Plusminusnula
Photography work of the exhibition opening. See the full collection on Plusminusnula's flickr archives.
"Jonas Strouhal’s installation Bistro Affluenza in a first instance presents itself as a straightforward allegory of the perversions of capitalism, if you will. An allegory of capitalism’s remarkable ability to even turn our pain, suffering, shortcomings – in short consequences of exploitation – into marketable profit by making them into something not only desirable, but healthy, environmentally friendly."
//excerpt from the curatorial text by Significant Other
For the full description scroll down!
For the full description scroll down!
Jonáš Strouhal: Bistro Affluenza
In the dark times
Will there also be singing?
Yes, there will also be singing.
About the dark times.
- Bertolt Brecht
Allegory of Affluenza
As an artistic device an allegory represents by means of symbolic and possibly fictional characters, places and events real-world issues, occurrences or generalisations about human existence. Allegoresis on the other hand is the act of reading an artistic expression as an allegory, against its authors intention. We see, applicability and allegory are easily confused despite of a crucial difference: the one resides in the freedom of the reader and the other in the domain of the author.
Jonas Strouhal’s installation Bistro Affluenza in a first instance presents itself as a straightforward allegory of the perversions of capitalism, if you will. An allegory of capitalism’s remarkable ability to even turn our pain, suffering, shortcomings – in short consequences of exploitation – into marketable profit by making them into something not only desirable, but healthy, environmentally friendly. But as with so many things, the problem is not that we wouldn’t know about it in theory, but that we always need to have the actual experience, if we are to find out how we really feel and maybe even who we really are. Strouhal’s offer on the table is straightforward but comes with many possible implications. The scene is set in between a cautionary tale, a momentous dare and a treacherous personality test – we are confronted with an intimate yet grotesque scenario suspended in a triangle of three human essentials: intimacy, nourishment and recovery. The catch is that it does not remain a visual and intellectual exercise, where we question the ever-expanding boundaries of the new normal and social norms, which condone a society running on substitutional fumes but we are called to action, to experience or to decide against it.
A paravent displays an artificially alluring holiday destination – an arbitrary vacation of soothingly stereotypical imagery, much needed to numb our overworked bodies and minds. The smooth skin, voluptuous synthetic curves and guaranteed-forever-young sex doll is necessary to simulate sexuality, intimacy, sensuality and possibly love – because who has time or nerves for a girlfriend? Her breasts, overflowing with milk – symbol of the ever-nurturing mother – now even upgraded to serve us Mana, offer a delicious and nutritionally balanced food suitable for healthy adults, who want to save money, time and the environment. With an effortless wipe of your card at the contactless payment terminal you can literally get a taste of what is needed to endure the predatory monster of capitalism. But what you don’t pay for and also might not want, could be a revelation of where you, yes you, stand in all this. How do you feel? Are you aroused? Aren’t you curious? Or slightly uncomfortable? But why?
How dysfunctional are your relationships to wealth and the pursuit of it?
What will the walk-in allegory turned barometer of our Affluenza level say?
Mana is designed as a nutritionally balanced food substitute, suitable for healthy adults who don’t want to spend too much time, money or waste preparing food. Mana claims to be environmentally friendly in terms of production, storage and consumption of food. Available either as a drink or in form of powder it is possible to fully substitute your nutritional intake. It has a one year shelf-life, is lactose-free, contains no animal products and is suitable for vegans.
Affluenza is a term used to describe the unhealthy and unwelcome psychological and social effects of affluence regarded as a widespread societal problem, specifically feelings of guilt, lack of motivation, and social isolation experienced by wealthy people. It is associated with extreme materialism and consumerism related to the pursuit of wealth and success and resulting in a life of chronic dissatisfaction, debt, overwork, stress, and impaired relationships. Affluenza is particularly rampant in societies, where a high priority is placed on financial success and material possessions.
Theory of the Young Girl identifies the Young Girl in everyone of us in a consumerist society as a non-gendered concept, proclaiming our self-experience as one of a commodity to be constantly valorised and marketed. The Young Girl is fully possessed by her own image. She wears the mask of her face. The Young Girl is obsessed with authenticity because it’s a lie. When the Young Girl giggles, she is working. The Young Girl is never simply sad, she is also sad that she’s sad. The Young Girl is optimistic, thrilled, positive, happy, enthusiastic, joyful; in other words, she suffers.
Cooperation and curatorial text: Significant Other (Laura Amann, Jen Kratochvil)
Translation: Michal Spáda
