REASONABLY UNREASONABLE
The sense of shame is a feeling we have been familiar with ever since we were children, and even as adults we encounter it time and again in all sorts of situations. No-one really likes to feel ashamed; on the contrary: shame is rather an unpleasant feeling. So perhaps it’s worth taking a closer look at what this emotion is all about.
Most of the time shame can completely overwhelm us – and we don’t have to think long and hard about why we feel ashamed. And the reactions it triggers are nothing if not physical. We begin to sweat, we blush, or we hide our face. We reasons why and how much we feel ashamed can vary greatly from one person to the next.
But shame is far more than a merely subjective emotion. Psychologists and sociologists have described its elementary significance for the proper functioning of society. Indeed, shame imperceptibly connects an individual’s self-perception with the values and rules of his or her community. So the capacity to feel shame also contributes to the inner cohesion of a particular society. In any case there is one thing that visitors to the exhibition will soon realise: it is a complete misconception to think that we live in shameless times, as some cultural critics would have us believe!
Artists
Alongside cultural-historical exhibits, documents and media, the exhibition also showcases works by the following artists:
Nobuyoshi Araki (*1940), Kurdwin Ayub (*1990), Leigh Bowery (1961–1994), Jörg Buttgereit (*1963), VALIE EXPORT (*1940), Christian Jankowski (*1968), Terence Koh (*1977), Leigh Ledare (*1976), Victoria Lomasko (*1978), Erik van Lieshout (*1968), Alex McQuilkin (*1980), Margret - Chronik einer Affäre (1969/70), Ferhat Özgür (*1965), Dennis O’Rourke (1945–2013), Bruce Richards (*1948), Rokudenashiko (*1972), Joanna Rytel (*1974), Sašo Sedlaček (*1974), Jan M. Sieber (*1975) und Ralph Kistler (*1969), Thomas Schütte (*1954), Helmut Schwickerath (*1938), Miroslav Tichý (1926–2011), Phillip Toledano (*1968), Oliviero Toscani (*1942), Danh Vō (*1975), Marie Voignier (*1974)
The 100 Reasons
1 Being looked at
2 Blushing
3 Being sized up
4 Cutting a poor figure
5 Not being normal
6 Flaws
7 Crooked nose
8 Being ill
9 Skin rash
10 BMI
11 Disrobing / Removing one’s clothes
12 Being scanned
13 Touching
14 Masturbating
15 Being in love
16 Private parts
17 Farting
18 Tensing
19 Being curious
20 Foreign customs
21 Unveiling
22 Lack of respect
23 Incomprehension
24 Camera view
25 Defecation
26 Being naked
27 Short skirts
28 Being on display
29 Erection
30 Uncertainty
31 Being inducted
32 Being the focal point
33 Losing face
34 Having no voice
35 Quarrelling
36 Slighted honour
37 Indiscretion
38 Sin
39 Feeling of guilt
40 Being defiled
41 The holy of holies
42 Philanthropy
43 Secrets
44 Family
45 Two-timing
46 Pride
47 Forgetting
48 Public opinion
49 Monitoring
50 Lack of recognition
51 Disproportionality
52 Wittiness
53 Crossing the line
54 Being German
55 Remembering
56 Hate
57 Bigotry
58 Homelessness
59 Poverty
60 Helping
61 Image damage
62 Conformity
63 Unemployment
64 Addiction
65 Loneliness
66 Prudishness
67 Cohesion
68 Humiliation
69 Blackface
70 Dehumanising
71 Shitstorm
72 Anonymity
73 Big mouth
74 Making a mess
75 Behaviour
76 Embarrassment
77 Subtle differences
78 Long skirts
79 Cruising
80 Civilising process
81 Laughing
82 Naivety
83 Provocation
84 Perversion
85 Dirty mind
86 Condemnation
87 Shamelessness
88 Self-portrayal
89 ‘Soul murder’
90 Abuse of power
91 Nuclear family
92 Motherly love
93 Narcissism
94 Imperfection
95 Being different
96 Empathy
97 Making a fool of oneself
98 Artificiality
99 Authenticity
100 Shame
Photo Gallery
Exhibition Data
Team
Curator: Daniel Tyradellis
Project Team: Johanna Stapelfeldt, Sophie Plagemann, Cornelia Wagner
Coordination: Sophie Plagemann, Cornelia Wagner
Scenography: Bundschuh Architekten, Berlin
Production management: Anna Kalvelage, KAWOKA Architekten, Berlin
Graphic design: Yvonne Quirmbach, Berlin
Area
800 sqm
Number of exhibits
ca. 250
Supported by
