29 January – 26 February 2011
Untitled - !Mediengruppe Bitnik

Vernissage: 28 January, 19:00 – 22:00

Substitut – Raum für aktuelle Kunst aus der Schweiz, Torstraße 159, 10115 Berlin
Opening times: Wed – Thur 16:00 – 19:00, Fri 16:00 – 21:00, Sat 14:00 – 18:00

> substitut-berlin.ch

Substitut – Raum für Aktuelle Kunst aus der Schweiz is a non-profit space and platform for art from Switzerland. The venue encourages the long term mutual exchange between Switzerland and Berlin. The name Substitut alludes to institute, subculture and even subversion. It reflects the fact that they do not constitute a pure off-space or a perfect institution, but a mixture and can also be seen as a critical representation of art in society. This exhibition unites six works of the Swiss artist group !Mediengruppe Bitnik from the past three years, plus a new work for transmediale.11.
 

!Mediengruppe Bitnik is an artist collective with the main focus to investigate digital and analogue media and the impacts they have on society. This exploratory work is put into practice in artistic exhibitions, interventions in public space and in the development of social software and interfaces. Through their work !Mediengruppe Bitnik aims to create a space for social and cultural action and collaboration.
 

In one of their latest works, !Mediengruppe Bitnik re-enacted Polizei lügt (Police lies), a work by Peter Weibel from 1971, in which an investment banker, who was walking by spontaneously, participated. The image of his quiet protest in front of a branch of the United Bank of Switzerland (UBS) in Zurich became UBS Lies: Attacks 1971/2009. During the opening reception of the exhibition Too Big To Fail / Too Small To Succeed in London in September 2010, UBS London had the image removed from a billboard outside the exhibition space and threatened to sue if the image was to be used further.