Evil Clowns

27. September 2014 - 08. March 2015 Dortmunder U, Level 3

 

In the international exhibition Evil Clowns, the Hartware MedienKunstVerein explores the ambivalent figure of the (evil) clown. "Send in the clowns!" (Frank Sinatra). The exhibition is centred on the figure of the evil clown in contemporary and popular culture (film, music videos, advertisement, political activism) by highlighting its inherent ambivalence and tracing its mutation from popular entertainer to creepy villain.

"Dangerous clowns are standing by the side of the road’", sang the Düsseldorf band Der Plan as early as 1979. The exhibition Evil Clowns explores the often disquieting figure of the clown, which has made an 'uncanny' career in recent years. Today (evil) clowns appear in a wide range of contexts including (anti-)advertisement (Ronald McDonald and various spoofs), political activism (The Yes Men), TV series (Krusty in The Simpsons), horror films and Hollywood productions (Killer Clowns from Outer Space; Pennywise in Stephen King’s It; the Joker as Batman’s opponent), pop music (Der Plan, The Residents) and in contemporary art. The masked jester makes us laugh – but behold: "There’s Nothing Funny About a Clown in the Moonlight" (Lon Chaney). This was again demonstrated recently by the Northampton Clown.

As part of the exhibition Evil Clowns HMKV cooperates with Jeu de Paume in Paris, who have commissioned the new work High Retention, Slow Delivery!! (2014) by Constant Dullaart (NL).

Design: labor b designbüro, Dortmund

Supported by:

Art Foundation of NRW (Kunststiftung NRW)

Kindly supported by:

Office for Visual Arts/Institut français

French Ministry for Culture and Communication/DGCA

Media partner:

ARTE Creative
Ruhrgestalten

 
 

You will find press material on this program item in our press area.

Artists

  • Anonymous
  • Marion Auburtin (FR)
  • Blue Noses (RU)
  • Barbara Breitenfellner (DE)
  • The Cacophony Society (US)
  • Kimberly Clark (NL)
  • Deichkind (DE)
  • Constant Dullaart (NL)
  • George Grosz (DE)
  • Guerrilla Girls (US)
  • Insane Clown Posse
  • The Joker
  • Killer Klowns from Outer Space
  • Krusty the Clown
  • Laibach (SI)
  • Renzo Martens (NL)
  • Ronald McDonald
  • The Northampton Clown
  • Novi kolektivizem (SI)
  • Pennywise
  • Der Plan (DE)
  • Pogo the Clown
  • Abner Preis (IL/US/NL)
  • Pussy Riot (RU)
  • The Residents (US)
  • Roee Rosen (IL)
  • Aura Rosenberg (US/DE)
  • Christoph Schlingensief (DE)
  • Cindy Sherman (US)
  • Super A (DE)
  • Jeffrey Vallance (US)
  • The Yes Men (US)

Curators

Inke Arns (exhibition curator)
Marie Lechner (selection Cacophony Society)

Events

Press Reviews

Funkhaus Europa, Süpermercado, Interview with Inke Arns, 5 Nov 2014, 10-12 am

Matthias Goergens: "Vom Spaßmacher zum Schreckgespenst: Warum die Clowns jetzt böse sind", Interview with Inke Arns, in: WDR, 5 Nov 2014

Bettina Pfleging: "Bildserie 45 / 2014: Clowns: Tollpatschig, lustig, weise, tragisch oder gruselig?", Prometheus: Verteiltes digitales Bildarchiv für Forschung und Lehre, 2 Nov 2014

Libération, front page, 31 Oct 2014

Bruno Icher, Éric Loret: "Le bouffon diabolique, figure classique: Le cinéma puis les séries télé ont souvent exploité ce personnage malaisant et torturé", in: Libération, 31 Oct 2014, pp. 3-4

Oliver Pohlisch: "Kuratorin über Clown-Terror: 'Stärker als Zombies'", Interview with Inke Arns, in: taz - die tageszeitung, 31 Oct 2014

Emmanuelle Jardonnet: "Les clowns méchants, objet d’une exposition en Allemagne", Interview with Inke Arns, Le Monde, 31 Oct 2014

Ralf Stiftel, "Grinsen mit Reißzähnen", in: Westfälischer Anzeiger, Culture, 31 Oct 2014 (not online)

WDR television, Lokalzeit aus Dortmund, 31 Oct 2014; 27 Sep 2014

SAT1 nrw, 17:30, 31 Oct 2014; 26 Sep 2014

"Frage des Tages - Ist der Clown noch zu retten?", Deutschlandradio Kultur, Kompressor, 30 Oct 2014, 14:10 - www.deutschlandradiokultur.de

Oliver Pohlisch, "Ansichten Böser Clowns", in: taz - die tageszeitung, 24 Oct 2014

Constant Dullaart: "100,000 Followers for Everyone! 2.5 million Instagram followers were bought and distributed by artist Constant Dullaart amongst a personal selection of active art-world Instagram accounts", in: DISmagazine, Oct 2014

Peter Ortmann: "Wo muss eine Gesellschaft hin, damit sie so eine Figur braucht?", Interview mit Inke Arns zur Ausstellung Böse Clowns, trailer, Oct 2014, p. 41

Tilman Abegg: "Der Künstler Abner Preis im Interview: 'Ich will, dass sie fühlen'", in: Ruhrnachrichten, 1 Oct 2014 (and WAZ, Westfälische Rundschau)

Tilman Abegg: "So kommen Sie ohne Angst durch die Böse Clowns-Ausstellung im U", in: Ruhrnachrichten, 1 Oct 2014

Tilman Abegg: "Das böse Bunt", in: Ruhrnachrichten, 26 Sep 2014

Deutschlandfunk, CORSO - Kultur nach 3, 26 Sep 2014

Michael Köhler, "Krusty säuft, Pennywise tötet Kinder", in: Deutschlandradio Kultur, 25 Sep 2014

Ulrike Märkel: "Ausstellung Böse Clowns – ein Besuch bei der Kuratorin Inke Arns, Hartware MedienKunstVerein", Ruhrbarone, 12 Sep 2014

Handout

handout download