The video work Der Schlaf der Vernunft gebiert Ungeheuer, 2007 by Pascale Grau was created as part of the artist's Tableau Vivant project series, which has adopted an independent art form between image and theater, namely the re-enactment and representation of well-known works from art history. Ferdinand Hodler's The Night, 1890 was chosen as the model and recreated with a group of artist friends. The new picture shows a bed landscape with slumbering people, set in a continuous flicker of light. By visualizing a familiar image in an unfamiliar form, the artist challenges viewers to reinterpret it: the aim of the project is to reflect on and question the collective memory, the treasure trove of images and the values of a specific cultural group.
Simone Neuenschwander Curator, Basel 2007
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