“Artist’s Con(tra)ception”: Kölnischer Kunstverein presents Chris Korda’s first exhibition in Germany

18.06.24 Jürgen Schön, published on Kivvon.com

Chris Korda’s art is as provocative and diverse as the person herself. And of a high standard of craftsmanship. The Kölnischer Kunstverein is now showing the first overview of the work of the US musician, transgender activist, performer and software developer in Germany. On display are works from the 1980s onwards. The title “Artist’s Con(tra)ception” picks up on the ambiguity of her work: An (English) play with the pair of terms (artistic) concept and conception as well as contraception as its opposite.

The “Human Population Counter” at the entrance to the exhibition ticks relentlessly: it counts the (estimated) increase in the world’s population, an increase every second, now well over 8 billion. A highly controversial development - can the earth still sustain humanity in the future without suffering damage? And how are humans harming the earth through CO2 emissions?

The key demand: “Make love, not babies”

A development that not only Korda is afraid of. “Make love, not babies” is what two mannequins demand on their poster. Korda’s proclamation of her “Church of Euthanasia” is also quite consistent. In Germany, the use of the word (euthanasia) is not unproblematic given the historical context, but it does not mean the killing of “inferior” people, but rather voluntary death out of responsibility towards humanity as a whole in recognition of the limits of growth.

One banner demands “Save the planet, kill yourself” – and thereby make a contribution to saving planet Earth. Abortion, cannibalism and sodomy are also on the church’s agenda. A matching T-shirt can be purchased at the reception for 15 euros.

Who asks the individual whether they want to be born?

In her series “Overshoot slide show”, she brings together photos in which she has captured examples of environmental destruction, consumer rage, ship disasters, false masculinity in society and politics or dictatorships. A colorful, witty, biting, direct and surprising collection of actual events. The 40 collages are linked by a poem, including the angry line “I didn’t ask to be born”.

In the Riphahnsaal, videos are shown in which a sound form is transformed into kinetic sculptures whose shape and colors are constantly changing and confuse the viewer’s accustomed senses. In the cinema, on the other hand, the video “Adagio for Color Fields” invites the viewer to contemplate with its play of colours accompanied by music. The combinations created with a program are not to be repeated for at least a few trillion years.

Viewers can also immerse themselves in the artfully computer-generated colorful hexagons. Right next to them are geometric constructions and photos from the GBTS community. Drawings and small paintings testify to Korda’s craftsmanship.

Terrorist attack on the World Trade Center as a computer game

A separate room is dedicated to self-portraits. Here she sees herself through the eyes of Gustav Klimt or Botticelli using artificial intelligence. She presents herself as a hybrid of human and machine, in the form of a drone or a car. In the basement of the Kunstverein, visitors can explore Korda’s extensive musical output. 10 LPs can be heard.

Here is probably also the most disturbing exhibit: the video “I like to watch”. The idea, images and music were created by Chris Korda, with Steve Ryan helping her with the technical realization. The focus is on the documentary footage of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York. It becomes a computer game embedded in oral sex porn, in which the male genitals become a parallel to the skyscrapers. Next to it hangs a trigger warning - which is understandable for a socially critical piece of art.

The original text in German is here.