"SHAME: 100 REASONS FOR TURNING RED", Exhibition 26.11.2016 – 5.6.2017, Dresden

Deutsches Hygiene-Museum Dresden

Curator: Daniel Tyradellis, Berlin Scenography: Roger Bundschuh, Berlin

Artists: 
Nobuyoshi Araki (*1940), Kurdwin Ayub (*1990), Leigh Bowery (1961–1994), Jörg Buttgereit (*1963), VALIE EXPORT (*1940), Christian Jankowski (*1968), Terence Koh (*1977), Leigh Ledare (*1976), Victoria Lomasko (*1978), Alex McQuilkin (*1980), Erik van Lieshout (*1968), Margret- Secret Diary (1969/70), Ferhat Özgür (*1965), Dennis O’Rourke (1945–2013), Bruce Richards (*1948), Rokudenashiko (*1972), Joanna Rytel (*1974), Sašo Sedlaček (*1974), Jan M. Sieber (*1975) und Ralph Kistler (*1969), Thomas Schütte (*1954), Helmut Schwickerath (*1938), Miroslav Tichý (1926–2011), Phillip Toledano (*1968), Oliviero Toscani (*1942), Danh Vō (*1975), Marie Voignier (*1974)

The sense of shame is a feeling we have been familiar with ever since we were children, and even as adults we encounter it time and again in all sorts of situations. No-one really likes to feel ashamed; on the contrary: shame is rather an unpleasant feeling. So perhaps it’s worth taking a closer look at what this emotion is all about. Most of the time shame can completely overwhelm us – and we don’t have to think long and hard about why we feel ashamed. And the reactions it triggers are nothing if not physical. We begin to sweat, we blush, or we hide our face. We reasons why and how much we feel ashamed can vary greatly from one person to the next. But shame is far more than a merely subjective emotion. Psychologists and sociologists have described its elementary significance for the proper functioning of society. 

Indeed, shame imperceptibly connects an individual’s self- perception with the values and rules of his or her community. So the capacity to feel shame also contributes to the inner cohesion of a particular society. In any case there is one thing that visitors to the exhibition will soon realise: it is a complete misconception to think that we live in shameless times, as some cultural critics would have us believe!

Alongside cultural-historical exhibits, documents and media, the exhibition also showcases works by the following artists:

The 100 Reasons
On your way round the central body of the exhibition you’ll come across all 100 reasons for being ashamed – and even a few more:

1 Being looked at
2 Blushing
3 Being sized up
4 Cutting a poor figure 5 Not being normal
6 Flaws
7 Crooked nose
8 Being ill
9 Skin rash
10 BMI
11 Disrobing / Removing one’s clothes
12 Being scanned
13 Touching
14 Masturbating
15 Being in love
16 Private parts
17 Farting
18 Tensing
19 Being curious
20 Foreign customs
21 Unveiling
22 Lack of respect
23 Incomprehension
24 Camera view
25 Defecation
26 Being naked
27 Short skirts
28 Being on display
29 Erection
30 Uncertainty
31 Being inducted
32 Being the focal point 33 Losing face

34 Having no voice 35 Quarrelling
36 Slighted honour 37 Indiscretion
38 Sin
39 Feeling of guilt
40 Being defiled
41 The holy of holies 42 Philanthropy
43 Secrets
44 Family
45 Two-timing
46 Pride
47 Forgetting
48 Public opinion
49 Monitoring
50 Lack of recognition 51 Disproportionality 52 Wittiness
53 Crossing the line 54 Being German
55 Remembering
56 Hate
57 Bigotry
58 Homelessness
59 Poverty
60 Helping
61 Image damage
62 Conformity
63 Unemployment
64 Addiction
65 Loneliness
66 Prudishness
67 Cohesion

68 Humiliation 69 Blackface
70 Dehumanising 71 Shitstorm
72 Anonymity
73 Big mouth
74 Making a mess 75 Behaviour
76 Embarrassment 77 Subtle differences 78 Long skirts
79 Cruising
80 Civilising process 81 Laughing
82 Naivety
83 Provocation
84 Perversion
85 Dirty mind
86 Condemnation
87 Shamelessness 88 Self-portrayal
89 ‘Soul murder’
90 Abuse of power 91 Nuclear family
92 Motherly love
93 Narcissism
94 Imperfection
95 Being different
96 Empathy
97 Making a fool of oneself
98 Artificiality
99 Authenticity
100 Shame 

A chest examination: is the gaze of science free of shame? X-ray examination, 1896.
© Deutsches Röntgen-Museum, Remscheid
Covering up the genitals I: Boastfulness?
Codpiece from a suit of armour, Nuremberg, 1540–1550.
© Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg. Photo: Monika Runge
Groping: who’s embarrassed here – the passer-by or the artist? VALIE EXPORT, Tapp- und Tastkino, 1968.
© The Artist and sixpackfilm, VG Bildkunst, Bonn 2016
Covering up the genitals II: Prudishness?
Bruce Richards, Grand Tour, 2014.
© The Artist and Jack Rutberg Fine Arts, Los Angeles (CA), USA
Is it possible to be publicly ashamed?
Christian Jankowski, Schamkasten, 1992. © Courtesy of the Artist

    

VENUE
Deutsches Hygiene-Museum Lingnerplatz 1
D-01069 Dresden, Germany 0351 4846-400 www.dhmd.de/english
OPENING HOURS
Tue to Sun and public holidays
10 am to 6 pm
Closed 24 and 25 December 2016 and New Year’s Day
ADMISSIONS
Standard adult ticket: EUR 7 Concessions: EUR 3 Admission free up to age 16 Family ticket: EUR 11
DIRECTIONS
From the city centre/Frauenkirche approx. 10 minutes on foot or take tram lines 1, 2, 4 or 12 to ‘Deutsches Hygiene-Museum’ or tram lines 10 and 13 to ‘Grosser Garten’