“Kopienkritik”, exhibition by OLIVER LARIC at the Skulpturhalle Basel
from 9 June to 14 August 2011
all photos  © WFW

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OLIVER LARIC is well known for his work characterised by the manipulation of existing broadcast media; using YouTube, webchat programs and graphics programs as a raw material but also as a method of display for his work. Additionally, LARIC is also one of the curators of vvork.com, an innovative art blog.

Right now, OLIVER LARIC is presenting a new solo exhibit of objects and videos entitled Kopienkritik, contextualized by Skulpturhalle Basel‘s extensive collection of plaster casts of Greek and Roman sculpture.

Kopienkritik is a term popularized by German scholars, implying a view of Roman sculpture as a stand-in for something else, a mere reconstruction of lost Greek works. This marginalization of Roman innovation ignores qualities inherent in the works such as allusion, parody and emulation, also often falsely ascribing Roman sculptures to non-existent Greek precursors.

Permitted access to the museum’s 124 year-old collection of original plaster moulds, LARIC has produced a series of recasts in resin shown alongside the museum’s permanent display, onto and around which video is also be projected.

OLIVER LARIC finds equivalence with Kopienkritik and current debates about appropriation in cultural production. The exhibition, and his wider practice, emphasize the potential of the copy and brings current discussions about image production in to play with the extensive historical collection at Skulpturhalle (on view until 14 August 2011).

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