An exhibition I liked but don't understand

With 2.500 visitors within the first 4 weeks the groupshow „Cantus Firmus“, based on a videowork by Christophe Meierhans, is quite successful regarding its quantity. The feedback about its quality is predominantly enthusiastic. But – why?

Christophe Meierhans, W139’s director Tim Voss and some of the participating artists will try to follow the development of the Cantus Firmus and relate its ambition to the now visible outcome. Alex Arteaga, artist and phenomenologist based in Berlin, will deliver his reading of the show and lead a discussion about art, container-metaphors and the production of sense.

Discussion in english

  ...
And this work?
Which one, this one?
…
Yeah. Good question. You have proposed it, didn't you?
No, i believe you have brought it in…
Yes? I can't recall.
Anyways. It is here now.   So how can we include that one in the discussion?
Shit. No idea. I'm still convinced it fits totally in, though.
Yeah, me too…
Difficult ! 
Let's just try to have a new look at it. Maybe we can figure out why it fits.
…
Well, it makes sense here.
It does!
…
It feels almost like an exercise at the psychotherapist: now, I would like you to make an effort and try to tell me why do you think it fits
…
Fitting…that is quite a wrong word. Feels like it reduces everything to something very banal and shallow.
Maybe it is banal and shallow!?
Well, i guess it depends on us: we both have decided that this work fits and should be part of the show.   We both "felt" that, is probably a better way to put it…
Yes, probably. But so, i guess, if the reason for the work to be here, the relashionship it has with the rest is banal and shallow that somehow reflects onto us. Or vice-versa…
So, what do you think of yourself ?  

Alex Arteaga

Alex Arteaga (Barcelona, 1969) is a researcher in the fields of aesthetic practice and embodiment theories. He develops his research through his artistic practice and philosophical inquiring as head of the Auditory Architecture Research Unit and visiting professor at the Master Sound Studies (Berlin University of the Arts), as academic researcher at the Collegium for the Advanced Study of Picture Act and Embodiment (Humboldt University Berlin). He studied piano, music theory, electronic music and architecture in Barcelona and Berlin. He obtains a PhD at the Institute of Philosophy of the Humboldt University Berlin with his dissertation “Sensuous framing. Principles of a strategy to realize conditions of perception”.