-ISM
wallpaper, 280 x 220 cm, 2016

Isms contain different ideologies, belief systems and doctrines whose meanings are embattled and thus in constant state of flux. Here, the struggle for the meaning of whats (social-) ism actually is, becomes materially and physically tangible. The depicted piece of tarpaulin was originally part of a whole sentence - a populist slogan of the Communist Party of China. Torn in pieces, it was later used by a furniture salesmen to cover his commodities. The three remaining signs ISM are part of a history of ideas: Depending on who reads them, they either contain everything or nothing; they either tell stories or remain abstract white signs on a red background. Using a hand-held scanner, the tarpaulin found in Chongqing was scanned piece by piece and thus detached from its environment. Through the direct contact from the scanner to the material the ruinous surface was captured richt in detail - the traces, scratches and abrasions manifest not only of the decay of the material but also that of the ISM.