Whistleblowers & Vigilantes. Figures of Digital Resistance

09. April 2016 - 14. August 2016 Dortmunder U, Level 3

As early as 1996 artists and net activists such as the Electronic Disturbance Theater and etoy began using "electronic civil disobedience" tactics to attract the public’s attention to the rampant commercialisation of the Internet. Since this time, the radical strand of online activism called ‘internet vigilantism’ or simply ‘digilantism’ has been thriving.

The exhibition Whistleblowers and Vigilantes. Figures of Digital Resistance asks what links hacktivists, whistleblowers and (Internet) vigilantes. What is the legal understanding of these different actors? Do they share certain conceptions? Who speaks and acts for whom and in the name of which (higher) right? Among other issues the exhibition will examine the differing legal conceptions and strategies of self-legitimisation put forth by activists, whistleblowers, hackers, online activists and artists to justify their work.

Whistleblowers & Vigilantes was on view at the Kunsthal Charlottenborg in Copenhagen from 18 June - 13 August 2017 (Opening on 17 June 2017).

Design: labor b designbüro, Dortmund

Funded by:

Arts Foundation | Kunststiftung NRW

Supported by:

Pro Helvetia, Swiss Cultural Foundation

Cultural Partner:

WDR 3

Media Partners:

HEIMATDESIGN
bodo
coolibri

 

You will find press material on this program item in our press area.

Artists

  • 419eater.com
  • Anonymous
  • Julian Assange
  • John Perry Barlow
  • William Binney
  • Critical Art Ensemble
  • Cypherpunks
  • Lutz Dammbeck
  • DIS
  • Thomas Drake
  • Electronic Disturbance Theatre
  • Daniel Ellsberg
  • Etoy
  • Omer Fast
  • Dominic Gagnon
  • Ted Kaczynski (a.k.a. Unabomber)
  • Neo-Luddism
  • LulzSec
  • Chelsea Manning
  • Tim May
  • Metahaven
  • Netzpolitik / #Landesverrat
  • Trevor Paglen
  • Peng! Collective
  • Jesselyn Radack
  • Milo Rau / IIPM - International Institute of Political Murder
  • Edward Snowden
  • Clark Stoeckley
  • Telecomix
  • UBERMORGEN
  • WikiLeaks

Curators

Inke Arns
Jens Kabisch

Events

Every first Sunday of the month, 12:00 – 18:00

Press review

"It has been a long time since an exhibition shocked and confused me. In fact, I cannot even remember when it last happened. Yet the exhibition Whistleblowers & Vigilanters has managed to do just that. (...) Whistleblowers & Vigilanters differs from the flood of other art exhibitions themed around surveillance and control by reflecting on the legitimacy of online autonomous political action in general. Indirectly this means it also reflects upon the space of life that exists beyond all control. Rather than create another horror show around the future of privacy and freedom, with Whistleblower & Vigilanten we are presented with the persistence of fringe cultures and of free thinkers. For me this makes this an exhibition of hope." Josephine Bosma, "Whistleblowers & Vigilantes | Exhibition Review", Furtherfield, 6 July 2016

Felix Simon, "Widerstand im Netz", Frankfurter Allgemeine Woche, 29/2016, p. 56-57

Tilmann Abegg, „Enthüller und Vertuscher", Ruhr Nachrichten, 08 April 2016

Torsten Kleinz, „Von Whistleblowern und Vigilanten: Widerstand im digitalen Zeitalter“, heise.de, 08 April 2016

Linda März, „Hartware MedienKunstVerein zeigt Whistleblower & Vigilanten. Figuren des digitalen Widerstands", ruhrbarone.de, 11 April 2016

Florian Kohl, „Widerstand ist kein homogenes Phänomen – Ausstellung Whistleblower & Vigilanten im U“, lastjunkiesonearth.com, 08 April 2016

Steffen Korthals, „Fight The Power“, atthecontrols.de, 17 April 2016

Lennart Laberenz, "Die Spione sind gerade nicht im Büro", die tageszeitung, Berlin, 25 May 2016

Justus Hermann, „Nerds, Hacker und andere Helden“ in WDR5 SCALA, 08 April 2016

Peter Backof, „Whistleblower und Vigilanten: Ausstellung über digitalen Widerstand in Dortmund“ in Deutschlandfunk, Corso - Kultur nach 3, 08 April 2016

Thomas Franke, „Figuren des digitalen Widerstands“ in Deutschlandradio Kultur, Kompressor, 08 April 2016

Handout

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