KS – Page 4 – Schoemann

23/09/202622/09/2026

Presentation of thought

The introduction of the Venice exhibition catalog summarizes the artistic approach by Joseph Kosuth as a form of presentation of thought. The title of the exhibition “The-exchange-value-of-language-has-fallen-to-zero” is a provocative critic of the use of language. The experience of AI’s use of language as data points and machine-human interface in form of chatbots makes any topic related to language even more interesting. The embeddedness of language and the context of content become intelligible through visualization(s). We owe to Kosuth the view that the modus operandi of art is to raise questions and enter into meaningful debates with people. Site-specific installations and the uniqueness of the conceptual idea distinguish his works of art. Language and image enter into a kind of symbiosis embedded into a local context. This is taking Wittgenstein’s philosophy seriously.

22/09/202621/09/2026

Images about facts

The philosophical writings of Ludwig Wittgenstein are a bit sturdy and and rather complex. 100 years after the first publication we realize that the meticulous order of the “Tractatus logico-philosophicus” follows a logical order of top-down and horizontal lines, which almost resemble algorithmic thinking. In section (1) he defines the smallest unit of analysis, a case, and (2) the existence of settings, which constitute such cases with almost mathematical precision. Already in 2.1 he states “we construct images out of facts” (own translations). In a kind of inductive approach we tend to generalize based on (single) cases or realizations in form of an image of facts. At the same time we have to be aware that an image makes a statement about the relationship of objects contained in the image. But it is just one possible option out of a whole group of potential relationships. Based on this reasoning a true as well as false realization of facts are possible.
In the 21^st century the technological possibilities have grown rather exponentially (use of AI) allowing to give false testimony of facts and relationships of objects to each other. Wittgenstein challenges my own versions and daily combinations of text and images as approaches towards reality. (Image: excerpt from Ludwig Wittgenstein Tractatus logico-philosophicus, p. 14 edition suhrkamp)

21/09/202622/10/2026

70s revival

Brussels celebrates each year the “Car free Sunday” as final part of the mobility week. On 2026-9-20 this event coincides with the very high oil prices again. Just like in the oil crises of the 70s in 1973 and 1979 saving energy for mobility and transport is high on the political agenda in many countries. Just think of the benefits of such events. Less consumption will reduce “greed-flation” and upward pressure on prices. Pollution levels of fine particles and noise are drastically reduced. Children feel safe while riding their bicycles, scooters or skateboards. Parents are no longer on permanent alert due to the risk of accidents. For those who remember or lived during the 70s, they might have a “déjà vu” experience and enjoy a revival of the 70s. The roller skates are up for a revival as well.

20/09/202619/09/2026

News impact democracy

The reporting on news in the media can be highly influential on election outcomes and therefore democracy. Bias in coverage of news arises from mainly 2 sources: (1) topics covered as opposed to the ones neglected, (2) the framing of the news which fit into a broader political narrative. A robust scientific analysis of the topic is difficult as the amount of data (articles, headlines, appearances) can be rather large. The paper by Haider et al. (2026) accomplished a major step forward through the systematic treatment of “selection bias” in news coverage. Related to news coverage, selection bias has both a statistical as well as a substantive meaning. The substantive finding of selection bias refers to the fact that the print media studied tend to prefer “horse race stories to policy issues” in upcoming elections, i. e. the focus on opposing candidates rather than the underlying policy choices. The negativity bias in reporting remains another constant in media research.

19/09/202618/09/2026

Rural urban interrelationship

Cities are no isolated microcosms. They rely on being delivered a huge range of products. Cities have been markets, hubs or platforms for exchange with their surroundings, neighboring communities as well as distant ones. Historically, quite many cities have built walls to limit access and strictly regulated access. In the 21st century with low levels of fertility, the demographic pressure to leave the countryside for jobs is less pressing, but many regions face the shrinkage of the countryside’s population. The interrelationship between the urban centers and the rural surroundings has to be studied and addressed due to the far-reaching consequences for both. Transportation into cities needs public infrastructure which can handle the necessary flows and exchanges of people and products. For too many decades we have focused on an either/or cleavage of an apparent dichotomy of urban versus rural. It is about time to correct this bias and take the rural-urban interdependence more systematically into account.

18/09/202617/09/2026

Stress in the City

Before the stress in the city makes you sick, try new coping strategies. Of course, you cannot avoid the stress of hotspots like busy crossings or noisy construction sites. And these are only the visible stressors not to mention fine dust particles or mixtures of fragrances. Scientists have started to address these issues under the title of neuro-urbanism. This topic is part of a broader agenda on public mental health which addresses the rise in mental disorders globally. Expanding urbanization is considered a major driver of an often overwhelming cognitive load in cities. Growing into it helps, but many move to cities for professional reasons or simply a job being largely unprepared to the practice of daily commuting for years. Several potential stressors tend to cumulate: High Social density, broad diversity in aesthetics as well as social structure, relationships, social participation or public transport as part of mobility make cities interesting or hard to cope with.

17/09/202616/09/2026

Emotional paradox

Democracies face an intrinsic paradox. High aspirations before inauguration, rising negative emotions during polarizing democratic periods and high positive emotions towards democracy after the loss of major components of it. However, This constitutes a working hypothesis in need of further research of its historical validity. Some active defendants of democracy have organized already sessions to speak about emotions in democracy. On the occasion of the International Day of Democracy a local initiative in Berlin (Mutwerk) took up this topic and brought together representatives of many local initiatives to foster the wealth of positive emotions due to democratic rule in southern Berlin. (Image: Public library Berlin Steglitz democracy day 2026-9-14)

Public library Berlin Steglitz democracy day 2026

16/09/202615/09/2026

Emotions in Politics

Rage or even hate count among the high emotional states in psychology. The presence in politics of these more extreme emotional states has been on the rise since the times of Covid-19 due to the necessary restrictions of the fundamental right of free mobility. A cost of living crisis might lead to similar emotional states as “Angst” about homes, commuting and heating put many people in existential crises. The rise of extreme right parties has gained on the basis of this basic social mechanism using hate speech and a continued rage as driving force. Established political parties across Europe and the Americas have been very slow to react to this. Just providing accurate information and correcting fake news is not enough. More emotions are called upon to counter such aggressive strategies used by political opponents, unfortunately. In the podcast “The 2^nd thought” (Der zweite Gedanke in German!) Natscha Freundel together with Justus Bender and Heike Klüver we learn that an emotional response to rise of the extreme right is asked for. It is interesting to witness that 144 years after “Die fröhliche Wissenschaft” we still have not learned the lesson from Book 1 entry 38 by Friedrich Nietzsche: “with reason alone, thou shalt not convince those explosive minds” (own interpretative translation).

15/09/202614/09/2026

Taking positions

In the arts, positions are taken through the choice of topics, materials, an own perspective or approach. For the young artists, taking a position is quite a defining moment, usually after experimenting with several ones before. That point of view is probably a bit biased by a galerist’s perspective or when studying the market of art. Related to the Berlin Art Week, the Positions Berlin Art Fair offers an interesting overview of what is on the market. The section entitled Academy gives space and attention to young entrants into the art market.
The exchange of artists with the audience allows to understand in more detail what position is taken, how it is taken and worked out in detail. The backgrounds of artists are quite broad compared to other metropolitan Art Fairs in this start-up atmosphere at the Hangar 5+6 of former Tempelhof Airport in Berlin. If we look at other perspectives, we shall not only get inspired, but we shall most likely question our own position(s) as well. Great learning experiences for all.

14/09/202614/09/2026

Culture goes Europe

Culture has always travelled Europe. Not only the very famous artists have travelled themselves or their art has travelled, but students of art have joined masters in other countries to learn or become inspired. There are, of cause, some artists who paint themselves in their home and do not care much about the world around them. This is fine, too. The Berlin Art Week has taken a refreshing pro-European perspective in the talk entitled “Empowering Europe”. Culture can build many sustainable bridges across borders, which often start with language acquisition (Gitte Zschoch). Foundations assist with funding (Stephan Muschick). Curators initiate cooperations and lending across borders to challenge traditional cultures and practices (Anda Rottenberg). And the media ensure a wide distribution of cultural information and organise a society-wide discourse (Elke Buhr) about cultural diversity, heritage and innovation. All this is needed to avoid a self-referential cultural perspective of the MAGA-type in Europe. This is not a nice-to-have, but an essential part of the European power of resilience.

Author: KS

Emotional paradox

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