Wear a mask and your face grows to fit it

[EN] Fearing ridicule, the soldier in George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant acts according to what his way too big mask, the role as an imperialist, demands of him: he kills the gently grazing elephant for no reason. In doing so, he confirms what the many eyes on his back expect of him. He remains authentic. According to Erving Goffman, authenticity is the confirmation of what is expected. What complicates the matter is the strong belief of genuinely being that way. By following a historically evolved idea, we inevitably grow into it. Following Judith Butler, the body becomes the embodiment of an idea that is so deeply ingrained that we succumb to the illusion of being the idea. Within this illusion, smartly dressed, smooth-operating company employees enter the war room to answer unresolved questions regarding their corporate design. The house of cards that shelters the idea is maintained through joint presentation and protected against harmful influences: After 9/11, Emirates staged security and luxury. Kuoni continued to advertise its destinations with beaches, sea, sun, adventure, and local hospitality. Ideas, infrastructures, objects, and environments form a dramatic network that is unfolding impact and creating reality. In the chain of influential actors, the power of individuals is limited—even the most heroic resistance is a myth that can survive at most as an idea or in the form of a cowboy costume—but there are many possibilities for play. Welcome!

[DE] Aus Angst sich lächerlich zu machen handelt der Soldat bei George Orwells Elefantenjagd danach, was seine viel zu grosse Maske, seine Rolle als Imperialist, von ihm verlangt: Er tötet den lieblich grasenden Elefanten ohne Grund. Damit bestätigt er, was die vielen Augen in seinem Rücken von ihm erwarten. Er bleibt authentisch. Nach Erving Goffman ist Authentizität die Bestätigung dessen, was erwartet wird. Was die Sache verkompliziert, ist das starke Gefühl, auch wirklich so zu sein. Folgen wir einer historisch gewachsenen Idee, wachsen wir unweigerlich in sie hinein. Mit Judith Butler gesprochen wird der Körper zur Verkörperung einer Idee, die so tief sedimentiert, dass der Trägerkörper der Illusion verfällt, die Idee zu sein. In dieser Illusion begeben sich streng gekleidete, geschmeidig agierende Firmenangestellte in den War Room, um offene Fragen zu ihrem Corporate Design zu beantworten. Das Kartenhaus der Idee wird in gemeinsamer Darstellung aufrechterhalten und gegen Schadenseinfluss beschützt: Nach 9/11 inszenierte Emirates Sicherheit und Luxus. Kuoni bewarb seine Reiseziele weiterhin mit Strand, Meer, Sonne, Abenteuer und lokaler Gastwirtschaft. Ideen, Infrastrukturen, Objekte und Umgebungen formen ein bühnenreifes Netzwerk, das Wirkung entfaltet und Wirklichkeit hervorbringt. In der Verkettung einflussreicher Aktanden ist die Wirkungsmacht der Einzelnen zwar beschränkt – auch der heldenhafteste Widerstand ist ein Mythos, der höchstens als Idee oder in Form eines Cowboy-Kostüms überleben kann – aber Spielmöglichkeiten gibt es viele. Willkommen!

exhibition view, Wear a mask and your face grows to fit it, For, Basel

Jennifer Merlyn Scherler, Grave Friend (early generation, international version), 2025, 墓友 (early generation, Japanese version), 2025

Jennifer Merlyn Scherler, Grave Friend (early generation, international version), 2025, hand-hammered silver, polyester textile, lace, stuffing, Japanese paper, 18 × 28 × 31 cm

Jennifer Merlyn Scherler, 墓友 (early generation, Japanese version), 2025, hand-hammered silver, cotton textile, fake fur, lace, stuffing, Japanese paper, 12 × 19 × 33 cm

Melanie Jame Wolf, Threshold II (finite jest), 2025, fabric, wood, embroidery cotton, 300 × 380 cm

exhibition view, Wear a mask and your face grows to fit it, For, Basel

SPORT, SPORT NPC-Model 1–3, CGI, UV-print on honeycomb cardboard, various dimensions

Melanie Jame Wolf, The Creep, 2024, single channel 4K video, colour, sound, 14 minutes 40 seconds

exhibition view, Wear a mask and your face grows to fit it, For, Basel

Mati Jhurry, duty free_Emirates Staff No.460596, 2025, Series of 9 photographs pulled from the archive of performance Emirates Staff no. 460596, digital print on paper, aluminium frame, 31 × 41 × 2 cm each

exhibition view, Wear a mask and your face grows to fit it, For, Basel

Sebastián Dávila, Modelo para una isla, 2025, cardboard, 250 × 130 × 100 cm

exhibition view, Wear a mask and your face grows to fit it, For, Basel

SPORT, SPORT NPC-Model 1–3, CGI, UV-print on honeycomb cardboard, various dimensions

exhibition view, Wear a mask and your face grows to fit it, For, Basel

Leon Höllhumer, Parrot the Parent, 2023, short movie, 18 minutes. with: Annina Machaz, Florentina Holzinger, Daniel Rajcsanyi, Philipp Pess, Annemarie Arzberger, Apokalypso Mike, Ingrid Dorfinger. music by Karolina Preuschl. Painshaver-Production Kamera, Set, costume, requisites