Male to the Hilt: Images of Men

The exhibition is addressing the subject of the heterosexual male of the Western world as a culturally and socially defined being, putting the Kunstmuseum Bern at the vanguard in regard to this topic in Switzerland. Its objective is not to settle the score with the male sex but instead to engage with the subject in a playful and stimulating way, striving, at the same time, to break with traditional clichés. 

The whole spectrum of art media and male images
The exhibition is presenting works that cover the entire range of media used by artists, including paintings, drawings, photographs, films, videos, sculptures and performance-installations. Artists of all ages are represented in the exhibition, enabling it to highlight images of men in all age groups. Each of the artworks questions social norms, who or what a man is, while orchestrating masculinity in novel ways and reflecting on what it means to be a “man”. The artworks in the show take up the theme of masculinity or male emotions—as discussed in society in general or as openly demonstrated by men today: as weeping sport heroes, the disadvantaged position of divorced fathers, overstrained top managers or criminal youths.

Of strong weaknesses, eroticism and the male in crisis
The exhibition is divided into six sections that explore key aspects of masculinity studies and thus simultaneously follow a loose art-historical chronological thread. The introductory section takes up the theme of “Strong Weaknesses” with representations of men weeping or expressing fear. The second section “Experiments” scrutinizes the exciting events that took place in conjunction with the social movements of the 1960s and 1970s. The section “Emotions” presents male emotionality in intensely stirring artistic orchestrations. The section “Eroticism” take us through a selection of artworks that investigate men as objects of desire. The last two sections of the exhibition “Crisis and Critique” and “Masculinity as Masquerade” investigate traditional male images and give us an account of the potential of new gender orientations.

New means of education
The exhibition is an example for how museums today fulfil their social function and their commitment to education, of how art puts socially relevant issues under the microscope. Art very often questions issues and situations in a more radical way than or invents alternative images to those presented by advertising and the media. The Kunstmuseum Bern is now adopting a new means of communicating with its visitors by actively seeking a dialogue with them. In this way the public has the option of discussing the exhibition at two computer stations situated in the show itself or by visiting the exhibition blog. At this venue our audience can respond to the topic in detail and share their opinions. The practical exhibition pocket book with contributions by specialists in the field and descriptions of the artworks is included in the admission fee. The education program kicks off by showing a remarkable variety of perspectives and provoking views on masculinity today with tours of the exhibition, close viewing of artworks with invited guests, as well as a cinema program together with Kino Kunstmuseum and workshops for schools.

Contact: Brigit Bucher, , Tel.: +41 31 328 09 21
Images: Marie Louise Suter, , Tel.: +41 31 328 09 53

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