“When Humor Becomes Painful”
Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst
Limmatstrasse 270
August 27–October 30, 2005
Curated by Heike Munder and Felicity Lunn
If laughter truly is the best medicine, this show could heal us all. Migros director Heike Munder and independent curator Felicity Lunn explore the use of humor as a strategy and philosophy—as well as its repercussions—in works from 1965 through today. They aim to position viewers in that awkward space where one questions the punch line and wonders what exactly instigates laughter. From Bruce Nauman to Thomas Zipp, George Maciunas to Rachel Harrison, Martin Kippenberger to John Bock, this show, Freudian slips and all, should evoke some uncomfortable giggles, awkward guffaws, and maybe a tear or two.
Travels to the Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius, Jan.–Mar. 2006.