Declining Democracy

The exhibition Declining Democracy offers a critical reflection that stems from an engagement with the current national and international situation. Works by twelve international contemporary artists create a pathway that explores the values, contradictions, and paradoxes characterizing today’s society, and examines how the principles of democracy can be reinterpreted at a time when their validity appears to be questioned within the contemporary Western world.

The exhibition provides visitors with a framework in which to confront major issues of contemporary society and to engage with projects in which they become active participants, addressing topics such as participation and sharing.

The perspectives of the invited artists bring to light themes including the tension between the individual and the collective, the growing divide between citizens and the political class, the power and influence of economic lobbies and mass media, the challenges of immigration, and the inclusion or exclusion of civil and political rights, as well as new possible forms of democratic participation.

While the Western model of democracy—based on individual freedom, freedom of expression, equality, and political responsibility—is facing a period of crisis, democracy itself has become an ideal for those revolutions striving to affirm principles such as equal participation and the right to self-determination.

In keeping with the mission of the CCC Strozzina to reflect on the events shaping our contemporary society, Declining Democracy aims to create a platform for critical reflection and debate—one that does not, however, seek definitive answers or solutions.

Declining Democracy is a project by the Centre for Contemporary Culture Strozzina, with scientific consultancy provided by Piroschka Dossi, Gerald Nestler, Christiane Feser, and Franziska Nori.