Accumulation – On Collecting, Growth and Excess, Second Sequence

Whether money, property, clothing or technical devices – material possessions shape our everyday lives. But immaterial goods such as social status, influence, wealth and knowledge also accumulate. Together, they shape how people are perceived and valued in social and cultural contexts.

However, this ongoing accumulation leaves traces – visible signs as well as deep scars. They can be seen in the environment, in bodies, and in communities. At the same time, the principle of accumulation acts as the driving force behind the global movement of people, goods and capital.

The exhibited works illustrate the mechanisms of exploitation of natural resources in the Anthropocene – the age in which humans have become the central influencing factor of planetary processes. They show the toxic legacy of the fast-fashion industry – or the growing mountains of waste. They address global financial flows that intervene deeply in political and cultural processes. They reveal colonial narratives – such as the entanglement of mahogany wood with the violent history of the transatlantic slave trade. And they focus on digital infrastructures, such as underground cable systems that globally connect us to our present.

The second sequence of this exhibition also shows how new forms of resistance emerge from the ruptures of accumulation. The works on display visualize alternative strategies of care and collective responsibility towards people and the planet. Accumulation therefore invites visitors to think about new conceptions of society.

With works by: Bare Minimum Collective, Wang Bing, Anne-Lise Coste (Uruk), Rhea Dillon, Rindon Johnson, Nils Amadeus Lange, Mimi Ọnụọha, Sandra Poulson, Daniel Arnan Quarshie und Raqs Media Collective.
From the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst collection: Art & Language, Clegg & Guttmann, Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige, Gianni Motti, Yuri Pattison and Mierle Laderman Ukeles.