The Return of Religion and Other Myths

opening: 29 November 2008 at 16.00 hrs

BAK, basis voor actuele kunst presents The Return of Religion and Other Myths, on view from 30 November 2008 until 1 March 2009. The opening takes place on Saturday 29 November 2008 at 16.00 hrs at the Nicolaïkerk, Nicolaaskerkhof 9, Utrecht, the Netherlands.

The Return of Religion and Other Myths is a large-scale multifaceted project, consisting of the exhibition The Art of Iconoclasm, a discourse program taking place in early 2009 titled On Post-Secularism, and the publication of a BAK Critical Reader on the subject in 2009. The project explores the popular assumption of the return of religion to the public sphere, contemporary politics, and the media in the West as a constitutive "myth."

The exhibition The Art of Iconoclasm, curated by art historian and writer Sven Lütticken, consists of two parts: From Idol to Artwork at BAK, basis voor actuele kunst and Attacking the Spectacle at CM Studio, Centraal Museum. The Art of Iconoclasm investigates the relation between religious iconoclasm and iconoclastic gestures and strategies in modern and contemporary art. It proposes that iconoclasm is not merely a form of "iconophobic" vandalism, but a questioning of what passes for visual culture—an attempt to redefine and re-imagine the image.

Artists: Carl Andre, Carel Blotkamp, Guy Debord/Jean-Léon Gérôme, Rod Dickinson & Tom McCarthy, Hans Haacke, Arnoud Holleman, Imi Knoebel, Gert Jan Kocken, Krijn de Koning, Willem Oorebeek, Natascha Sadr Haghighian, Haim Steinbach, Rosemarie Trockel, and Lidwien van de Ven.

The discourse program On Post-Secularism examines the popular assumption of the revival of religious faith, issues of iconoclasm, and the changing character of secularism in a series of lectures, presentations, and research meetings investigating different perspectives on the manifestation of religion in the public sphere. On Post-Secularism is co-organized with the Centre for the Humanities, Utrecht University.

Mythic Narratives of Secularism and Religion, 11.01.2009 Christina von Braun, Kenan Malik, Markha Valenta

Iconoclasm, 01.02.2009 Jan Assmann, Arnoud Holleman, Silvia Naef, and screening of a work by Boris Groys

Revolution & Critique, 15.02.2009 Mark Boulos, Marc De Kesel, Natascha Sadr Haghighian

Alternatives to Monotheism, 01.03.2009 Lars Bang Larsen, Wouter Hanegraaff, and screening of works by Kenneth Anger and Joachim Koester

A BAK Critical Reader entitled The Return of Religion and Other Myths: A Critical Reader in Contemporary Art will be published in 2009. This reader, the third in BAK's series, will present newly commissioned and anthologized texts by artists, theorists, writers, and social scientists whose contributions consider the key topics that emerge in the exhibition The Art of Iconoclasm and the discourse series On Post-Secularism.

The Art of Iconoclasm Venues: BAK, basis voor actuele kuns, Lange Nieuwstraat 4, Utrecht CM Studio, Centraal Museum, Agnietenstraat 2, Utrecht Opening hours: Tuesday–Sunday 12.00–17.00 hrs

On Post-Secularism Venue and time: Instituto Cervantes, Domplein 3, Utrecht, 15.00 hrs

The Return of Religion and Other Myths

Ausstellung / Stationen:
The Art of Iconoclasm, From Idol to Artwork : BAK Utrecht
The Art of Iconoclasm, Attacking the Spectacle : CM Studio, Centraal Museum Utrecht
Kurator: Sven Lütticken

Künstler: Carl Andre, Carel Blotkamp, Guy Debord / Jean-Leon Gerome, Rod Dickinson & Tom McCarthy, Hans Haacke, Arnoud Holleman, Imi Knoebel, Gert Jan Kocken, Krijn de Koning, Willem Oorebeek, Natascha Sadr Haghighian, Haim Steinbach, Rosemarie Trockel, Lidwien van de Ven