2022
Gröpelinger Heerstraße 381
Bremen
The work on display is part of a series of works called „Bolter“. Bolters are runaway animals that have fled their farms and enclosures or maybe just got lost. The animal‘s intentions are unclear, but a horse running onto a highway may suddenly become dangerous. The moment of recapture by the authorities is thus one of relief, a restoration of the dubious order.
What interested me most about these situations is the ambiguity of the relationship between the animals and humans. The power dynamic is of course an oppressive one, but in a way it also has a compassionate side. The function of the officials is not only to capture but also to calm the confused runaway down, and often to rescue it from dying in a trench or car accident. On the other hand this normally completely powerless animal can suddenly turn into an involuntary threat.
Nevertheless it is given no choice. And where could such a bolter go to? The world around it has been cultivated and processed in such a way that, outside of its captivity, it can hardly exist. Essentially these are instances of the obscure inconsistencies in our complex societal systems. Accidents that are contained, little eruptions that may appear tragic in their futility. But most importantly they are an eerie reminder of the insecurities of a seemingly secure status quo and its more subtle violent implications.