Global Fascisms

Around the world, there is a glaring turn towards a dark form of politics. One is reluctant to name it for what all its recognizable signs point to, for fear of accepting the reality that fascism is here and it is everywhere. But delaying this admission does not arrest this growing hydra; it only postpones strategic thinking about how to counter it. The essential processes of recognizing the demonic character of fascism in history have sometimes made it difficult to recognize the demons in the now and the everyday. They take many forms. 

The exhibition Global Fascisms does not merely seek to trace the historical roots of fascism nor to enumerate the bad men (and a few women) who have come to power in many places during the last decade, but rather to examine this newly resurgent ideological formation’s deeper mechanisms—its claims, actions, aesthetics, affects, and consequences. Moreover it investigates the transnationality of fascisms—not confined to a singular historical moment but as a system of dehumanization that mutates across time and space, manifesting in political, cultural, and technological forms.

The end of World War II may have marked the collapse of a few fascist states, yet many of fascism`s aspects survived in different iterations around the world, even in the countries where such regimes were defeated in 1945. The toxic presence of these global fascisms manifests in different contexts: from the history of right-wing European dictatorships that became founding pillars of the post-war West to the recent resurgence of right-wing politics; from the brutal regimes that sabotaged postcolonial sovereignty to practices of apartheid across several continents; and to mass killings along ethnic divides, often exacerbated by colonial policies. The squashing of many visions for independence and development continued the legacy of fascist violence under new guises. The end of the Cold War and the dawn of the neoliberal era, with their geopolitical and ideological consequences, laid the ground for the current resurgence and amplification of fascism. Older and newly experienced feelings of loss—either painfully real or entirely imagined—and exploding economic inequality brought about longing for various perceived golden ages around the world. 

Today as before, fascism is not only manifesting in the field of politics—it is now also algorithmic, ambient, and affective. Social media and its echo chambers saw the development of increasingly radicalized spaces, among which the rapidly growing network of the ‘manosphere’ stands out, with its misogyny and radicalized definitions of masculinity, as well as the large sphere of authoritarianism fueled by conspiracy theories and counterfactual climate denial. Together, they work to undermine, if not outright dismantle, the pluralistic democracies of the present. The spectrum of fascism extends to other zones of the internet, from crypto libertarianism to various propositions for self-optimization.

The exhibition, however, is not only an appraisal and critique of contemporary global fascisms. The invited artistic positions put strategies of resistance at the forefront, considering art as an active force in challenging authoritarian aesthetics and ideologies. At a time when electorates worldwide are shifting toward far-right and authoritarian movements, while mass violence and calls for the annihilation of entire groups are increasingly normalized, the exhibition insists on the urgency of critical engagement and collective imagination.

Contributing artists: aaajiao, Pio Abad & Frances Wadsworth Jones, Jane Alexander, Matthew Barney, Vikrant Bhise, Michaël Borremans, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Gemeinschaftsschule with Alexandre Decoupigny and Claire Fristot, Shu Lea Cheang, Hou Chun-Ming, Eli Cortiñas, Andrew Esiebo, Niklas Goldbach, Hao Jingban, Daniel Hernández-Salazar, Hannah Höch, Karolina Jabłońska, Radu Jude & Adrian Cioflâncă, Yoonsuk Jung, Gülsün Karamustafa, Martin Kippenberger, Josh Kline, Firenze Lai, Daniel Lannes, Maria Lassnig, Franz Lehmkuhl, Lawrence Lemaoana, Carlos Leppe, Anna Maria Maiolino, Sliman Mansour, Ciprian Mureșan, Nguyễn Tân Hoàng, Mussunda N’zombo, Pınar Öğrenci, Mimi Ọnụọha, Raking Leaves, Robin Rhode, Glauber Rocha, Roee Rosen, Julia Scher, Sara Sejin Chang (Sara van der Heide), Mithu Sen, Sana Shahmuradova Tanska, Maree Sheehan, Chulayarnnon Siriphol, Sunwoo Hoon, Fuyuhiko Takata, Grace Dorothée Tong, Top lista nadrealista & Nadreality Show, Mona Vătămanu & Florin Tudor (with Ilinca Manolache).