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Carsten Höller "Doubt" @ Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan

In his works, Carsten Höller investigates the nature of human experience. His settings dismantle not only the traditional concept of art work but also the very idea of experiencing an exhibition or a museum. Visitors are put into a condition of disorientation and confusion, which turns out to be an incredibly productive state of mind. The loss of every certainty is precisely the condition which inspired this particular exhibition: “Doubt”. The “Doubt” starts from the very beginning, when the visitor is asked to choose between two opposite directions (“Y”), both of them leading into long pitch black corridors (“Decision Corridors”). At this point, after having walked through complete darkness for several minutes, the viewer finds himself in the perfect physical and mental condition to access the main room, where all sort of interactive works are placed, from flying machines to carousels, video art and interactive Aquariums, giving the surreal idea of an amusement park. Höller named it “Radical Entertainment”, aiming to reflect both on art as a form of entertainment as well as on fun itself being a dominant aspect in our lives. From the main room once again two different corridors lead to another space, where the exhibition ends with one last work, “Two roaming beds”, which recreates the concept of doubt and uncertainty experimented in the very first part. Carsten Höller "Doubt" will be on view until July 31, 2016 at Pirelli HangarBicocca, Via Chiese 2, 20126 Milano. text and photographs by Sara Kaufman