Contract

Contract, 2023

“Contract” is an immersive installation that critically examines the pervasive nature of contractual systems and bureaucratic control in contemporary life, with a particular focus on the art world. Drawing inspiration from Kafka’s narratives of entrapment within opaque bureaucratic structures, the exhibition explores how we are all, in various ways, complicit in signing away our autonomy—be it through formal agreements, societal expectations, or economic realities.

At the heart of the installation is a deliberately fabricated contract, imposed with egregiously terrible conditions, which visitors are invited to sign. Alongside this, a desk and two chairs—an homage to Kippenberger’s interactive setups—encourage participation and reflection, blurring the boundaries between viewer and subject. A portrait of Xavier Valentino, director of the IAI, hangs on the wall, accompanied by a framed version of the contract, further emphasizing themes of authority, control, and institutional power.

“Contract” critically examines the capitalist system that reduces human labor to a transactional commodity, highlighting how everyday life—both within and outside the art world—is governed by forms, signatures, and obligations. The exhibition underscores the paradox that, while we are all bound by these agreements, the wages we receive often fail to reflect the labor we perform, especially in the art industry where many are paid minimum wages or work unpaid. In this way, the artwork exposes the systemic exploitation that underpins contemporary capitalism and questions who truly benefits from these unbalanced contracts.

This installation invites viewers to reflect on their own participation in systems of control and to consider the extent to which signing these contracts—whether literal or metaphorical—shapes their lives and work. In doing so, “Contract” challenges the illusion of choice and highlights the often invisible mechanisms of power that govern our existence, echoing Kafka’s themes of entrapment and the relentless march of bureaucratic systems.