Mall of Anonymous provokes a double dichotomy by using both the undermined conditions of the museum and the mall. Museums are currently the subject of widespread criticism as they are seen as representations of authoritarian mechanisms throughout history or as institutions that enable obscure dependencies with interest groups. While the shopping mall occupied a significant part of public space in the 20th century, this form of architecture is gradually becoming obsolete, leading to the term “dead shopping malls”. In the Schinkel Pavilion, both types of space are interwoven and charged with the narrative of Shayne Oliver’s own biography.
Fig. above: Shayne Oliver, Mall of Anonymous, Schinkel Pavillon © Chadha Ranch
Displacing the conventions of the world of fashion and contemporary art – the canonical catwalk, retail and the white cube – Shayne Oliver takes up these relics to create a new space. When the Schinkel Pavilion becomes a shopping mall, obsolescence is introduced. But the exact opposite is the case. In the museum and retail apocalypse, the Mall of Anonymous creates its own chamber. Just as a nightclub offers shelter from the restrictive constraints of the day, the Schinkel Pavillon becomes the counterpoint of the art world.
The exhibition is exposed as a shopping mall and an end point is reached. A new start is provoked with new bodies, music, dance and costumes. Shayne Oliver’s community-oriented exhibition practice is one that occupies and revises. From a year-long performance residency programme and production space at Luma Westbau in Zurich to an attempt to revitalise the shopping centre at Schinkel Pavillon in Berlin, Mall of Anonymous creates new temporary points of departure. Or, as Shayne Oliver himself said: “Gentrification leaves no physical space for new, influential ideas to exist or settle. That’s why the Shayne Oliver Group and the Anonymous Club will be a place where these ideas have a home.”
WHERE?
Schinkel Pavilion
Oberwallstr. 32
10117 Berlin
WHEN?
Opening: Friday, 11.08.2023 | 7-10 pm
Opening hours Schinkel Pavillon:
Wednesday to Friday, 2pm-7pm
Saturday and Sunday, 11am-7pm
COSTS?
Regulare ticket 6 Euro, reduced ticket 4 Euro (card payment only)
