Dolls/Puppets as Appearances of the »Others – Mondo Cane« by Jos de Gruyter & Harald Thys

Abstract

The installation Mondo Cane by the Belgian artists Jos de Gruyter and Harald Thys of the Belgian Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale focuses on mechanical doll figures that seem to be trapped in loops of monotonous action. They are juxtaposed with a group of others who, behind barred fences, represent the inhabitants of a parallel world. With reference to Hannah Arendt’s critique of modern working conditions, the text examines the role of being active, craftsmanship and the social constitution of monotony. Furthermore, the focus is on the history of alterity and the different manifestations of the others as well as the specific mediality of the doll and/or the puppet.