From
Kito Nedo
Dimmed lights, flickering electric candles and church pews: Anyone who enters the large exhibition hall in the Kunsthalle Basel these days is enveloped in a kind of sacred atmosphere. But instead of a pulpit, a large video screen towers over the dimly lit scenery. An animation video flickers in an endless loop above the heads of the audience. It stars a blue Shiva character with rolling eyes dancing in a cloud of electric shocks to C64 video game music. As if by magic, long acupuncture needles are inserted through skullcaps into cartoon brains. There is a sizzling sound each time the needle penetrates the brain tissue. It’s like putting a minute steak in a hot pan. Ouch, that hurts to look at.