Egocentric System

Art/Event

by Julius Von Bismarck 

(Art Basel 2015)

A few steps into the Art Basel fair’s Unlimited section and you are welcomed by the very first installation in a quite striking manner: The “Egocentric System” by the Berlin artist Julius von Bismarck, presented by the New York gallery Marlborough, it’s undoubtedly the kind of installation that represents the grandiose nature of the Unlimited fair’s section. A live performance you won't want to miss: Big, eye-catching, impactful, and thought provoking; the EGO in the front row.

Von Bismarck encompassed by the revolving world composed by a giant concrete saucer spinning with no pause. The awed audience witnesses the artist seating at a desk or laying in a bed, or (carefully) walking around, while the entire fair whirls around him. “How can this bearded guy keep up with spinning on this “rotating paraboloid” without getting sick or permanently damaging his body and mind?

While enjoying the performance, popped in my mind the infamous egocentric person, usually identified as an individual fed by a selfish perspective, an individual experiencing himself in the center of all things; at most cases, ignoring and disregarding others’ interests, emotions, and beliefs.

A blurring of vision for anything beyond one’s self just like the blurred vision of the spinning artist. All and nothing is seen or heard.

Will he hold up for much longer?