Virtual Insanity
08/03/18—11/18/18
Kunsthalle Mainz
Am Zollhafen 3-5, 55118 Mainz, Germany
Featured artists:
Antoine Catala
Cao Fei
Jon Rafman
Jordan Wolfson
Harun Farocki
Eva & Franco Mattes
Refrakt &
Nicole Ruggiero & Molly Soda
Renaud Jerez
Igor Simić
Tabita Rezaire
“And now that things are
changing for the worse
see, it‘s a crazy world were living in
And I just can‘t see that half of us
immersed in sin
Is all we have to give these
Futures made of virtual insanity now
Always seem to, be governed
by this love we have
For useless, twisting, our new technology
Oh, now there is no sound, for we all live underground” (Jamiroquai)
Installation View: Eva und Franco Mattes, My Generation, 2010, Fotomuseum Winterthur, Schweiz, Photo: Christian Schwager
Virtual Insanity was the title of the song with which
Jamiroquai stormed the international music charts in
1996. The song heralded the dawn of a new era,
capturing its spirit both vocally and tonally. The
accompanying video has taken on legendary status
for its use of what at the time were spectacular images
to encapsulate the feeling of having the rug pulled
from under your feet, and the instability of people and
situations. While the term “virtual insanity” itself has
not stood the test of time, its meaning certainly has.
The accelerating slide into virtual realities is leading
to ever more sensory disorders, escapism and
brutalization. Simulator sickness or motion sickness is
the name given to the exhaustion and dizziness
experienced when someone’s actual physical
movements do not match what they visually perceive –
for instance, when wearing VR glasses. Thanks to VR
glasses, augmented reality applications, and perhaps
special contact lenses soon, too, the future has long
conquered the present.
Video Still: Cao Fei (SL avatar: China Tracy), Live in RMB City, 2009, Courtesy of the Artist and Vitamin Creative
Computer-communicated realities, mixing real and
virtual realities, extending our real surroundings with
additional artificial elements such as avatars or
virtual objects – these are all spaces for encountering
something entirely new, where human perception and
experience can be changed and expanded. They are
just a few examples to demonstrate that our reality is
steadily growing – and how it is doing so. Scientists
have already started attempting to redefine the
concept of “reality” – in a much freer and more
general sense as whatever makes an impact. But
what effects might computers and technology
precipitate in their interaction with human beings?
How will they be noticeable, and when?
Video Still: Jon Rafman: Dream Journal 2016-2017, 2017, Copyright Jon Rafman, Courtesy the Artist and Sprüth Magers
The exhibition Virtual Insanity examines the extension
of reality and its shadowy underbelly. Growth and
change are the driving forces of human thought and
social change; they stimulate us, they provide
meaning, and they can be necessary. At the same
time they can activate things or trigger thoughts and
actions which are neither wanted nor controllable.
When contemporary artists address present-day
issues and phenomena they are making an important
contribution towards understanding these themes.
Video still: Tabita Rezaire, Premium Connect, 2017, Courtesy of the Artist and Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg
In Virtual Insanity they are creating documents, writing
reports and narratives, developing scenarios, they
are practicing an entirely unique approach to the
technical innovations and lifestyle brought about by
the digital revolution. The side effects listed above of
a virtual or expanded reality have long formed an
important component of the questions asked and
research conducted by international contemporary
artists. They vocalize what science conjectures: that
a high degree of immersion can change not only
consciousness but also people. The stronger the
feeling we have of “presence” within the virtual world,
the more convincing is the illusion of being part of it
and of turning one’s back on the physical world, and
the more overwhelming and profound the impact. And
this impact is not merely limited to thoughts and
feelings, but can also be physically measured. Since
the introduction of the World Wide Web around twenty-
five years ago, digital technologies have permeated
our everyday lives and with breathtaking speed have
radically transformed the way we live with each other.
What happens when we immerse ourselves in unknown
worlds but can’t emerge out of them again? What do we
take with us and what remains of us? The artists
participating in Virtual Insanity will be exploring these
questions, and many more besides.
LINK: Virtual Insanity
