Clear the ring: The motif of the circus in contemporary art.

The circus presents a deliberate staging of attractive illusions, hard struggle, success and failure as part of human existence. The volume assembles works by international contemporary artists who make use of the motif of the circus in order to examine current social circumstances and to question cultural and political structures.

The circus originated in London towards the end of the 18th century and has long been a subject of fascination. Today this place of sensuous experiences seems like a relic from the past. The circus is a cosmos which with its entertaining and humorous as well as dark sides provides the basis for an examination of art, cultural history, animal ethics, feminism and racial criticism and also for the exposure of structures of cultural dominance, marginalisation and political and historical filters.

ARTISTS: Kathryn Andrews | Miriam Bäckström | Istvan Balogh | Beni Bischof | Mona Boschàr | Barbara Breitenfellner | Michael Dannenmann | Zilla Leutenegger | Dieter Meier | Yves Netzhammer | Tal R | Augustin Rebetez | Boris Rebetez | Ugo Rondinone | Niklaus Rüegg | Francisco Sierra | Norbert Tadeusz | William Wegman et. al.

Helen Hirsch (b. 1963 in Stockholm) is an art historian and curator. She has been the director of the Kunstmuseum Thun and the Thun Panorama since 2007.

Katrin Sperry (b. 1986 in St. Gallen) is a curator and cultural scientist. Since 2021 she has been the director of the Benzeholz – Raum für zeitgenössische Kunst.