Olivier Foulon | Soft Return

25 May –  6 July 2019

In a recent issue of an infoblatt/newspaper distributed to all mailboxes in O. near the city of K. (Pfalz, Germany) appeared a warning written in German as well as in English regarding the reflux of drugs inlocal drinking water. The airforce base of Ramstein is nearby and it is no hidden fact that the American military is highly medicated to (still) do their jobs. In a Felix Gonzalez-Torres-fashion, I am inclined to distribute this information further, to insert it into public space.

On the occasion of the Cady Noland exhibition at the Museum MMK Frankfurt and Because I live here at the Tower MMK Frankfurt, a two-day-symposium titled On Violence was organised by the museum. After attending it (as well as after re-reading Cady Noland’s text Towards a Metalanguage of Evil),I was thinking it would have been more accurate to call the symposium On Techniques. This perhaps could have shifted the subject (violence) from a theme to somethingmade — art.

Techniques are free of use. A technique is different than a medium. Some call it trick or vice. There can be wit, malice and/or truth in techniques such as (in) Ray Johnson’s or Cosima von Bonin’s practice.

Ray Johnson

Cosima von Bonin

The primary sense of motive is“a reason for doing something,especially one that is hidden or not obvious: a motive for his murder.” Motive and technique go hand in hand from then on.

Olivier Foulon