Blind Faith: Between the Visceral and the Cognitive in Contemporary Art

Geopolitical tensions and unsettling ecological, social, and economic developments are mounting challenges to the current world order. In the face of such growing uncertainty, trust in the traditional pillars of society is steadily waning, accelerated by a flood of information — whether well‑founded or fake — ubiquitously disseminated through digital means. The artists in the exhibition “Blind Faith: Between the Visceral and the Cognitive in Contemporary Art” share a growing skepticism with regard to these means of accessing the world. By taking recourse to the body in close allegiance with the mind as an alternative source of knowledge and a resonance chamber for political and social realities, they question today's conventional methods for measuring and evaluating human existence. For the artists, the body is not just object, metaphor, or site of examination, but also working material in the most literal sense, as sensual perception, corporeal experience, and alternative psychological states drive a critical investigation of the notions of belief and reality in the post‑truth age. Adopting a wide range of media including drawing, sculpture, video, robotics, animation, sound, and performance, the artists explore our perception of the contemporary moment, demonstrating new and critical, yet holistic means of seeing and understanding that encompass both physical and spiritual realms. This book was published on the occasion of the exhibition “Blind Faith: Between the Visceral and the Cognitive in Contemporary Art” held at Haus der Kunst, Munich from March 2 till August 19, 2018.