Let's do it again

2017, Video, 8m 45s

The main protagonist of Benjamin Zuber’s episodic video could very well be his voice: by chanting chorals and narrating anecdotes it seems to be trying to give spiritual or personal meaning to the visual fragments. In between pop-cultural references, car racing, Prince / David Bowie / Leonard Cohen hooks and subtle or obvious visual quotes from pieces by Hito Steyerl, Ed Atkins, Bas Jan Ader or Marina Abramović, Zuber is trimming his nails, philosophizing about the snooze button and repeating Christmas wishes in varying intonation – as if he were to rehearse the introduction of a celebration that seems increasingly out of place. Cringe worthy second-hand embarrassment as well as suspension between expectation and waiting are constant companions when watching the video. The viewer has to withstand whitespace and tries to fill or to defend it – against diffuse fears of current social developments. Against the own urge for self-expression and with the urge to constantly take on new roles to find the own self without being true to it.
Text by Ellen Wagner