Mythos
Joseph Beuys, Matthew Barney,
Douglas Gordon, Cy Twombly
2 June - 9 Sept 2007 Kunsthaus Bregenz accompanied by the publication “Mythos” by Uwe Schneede, David Joselit, a.o. at the online shop www.kunsthaus-bregenz.at
fig.: Drawing Restraint 9, Matthew Barney, 2005. Production Still © 2005 Matthew Barney. Courtesy Gladstone Gallery, New York. Photo: Chris Winget

Some say myths do not describe the truth - but what becomes the truth if we believe in myths?
Matthew Barney (born 1967) tells the love story (played by himself and his wife, Icelandic pop singer Björk) of two Occidental visitors on the Japanese whaler “Nisshin Maru.” When they fall in love, the hot Vaseline floods the tea room, and the two lovers are transformed into whale-like creatures in a dramatic action. The transformation of human beings into animal bodies is closely related to Japanese culture. In the Shinto religion, whales were regarded as ancestors and at the same time used as food. It is about the coming together and mixing of foreigners in our global world. more culture >>>