Curator: Sergio Edelsztein
Location: Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.), Chausseestrasse 128/129, 10115 Berlin
Santiago Sierra has been photographing rows of teeth since 2008: those of Sinti and Roma in Naples, migrants in Tijuana, refugees from the Middle East, and many more. These works are emblematic of Sierra’s focus on the “re-humanization” of groups dehumanized by the economy, migration, and prejudice. The act of “showing one’s teeth” touches on our most primitive behaviors, representing a visceral act of threat and defense, as the universally understood phrase suggests. Sierra’s project for the n.b.k. facade, titled Der Zeitgeist, reflects a moment of fear and threat, attack and defense, showing strength and concealing fragility. Der Zeitgeist laments the return to a primitive, pre-linguistic stance that equally affects the social behavior of individuals, groups, and state actors.
