“There is nothing more invisible than a monument”, likely one of the most famous quotes about monuments, was stated first by writer and philosopher Robert Musil. Plural Perspectives acts as a collective artistic proposal to actively seek out and develop new conversations with monuments, buildings or institutions in the city of Berlin, to reflect on these – almost ordinary – constructs that permeate daily life and carry their historical layers of meaning, oftentimes unquestioned and overlooked, into the present as they sediment fixed notions of identity.

Since modern times and due to some key events that took place in this city, such as the Berlin Conference in 1884, Berlin holds a place of special responsibility in the unfolding of the global colonial project. Even though many of the buildings that took a central role in those evolving global dynamics were destroyed during the Second World War, many others still stand. Using the location as a point of relation, Plural Perspectives invites different artistic positions to engage – each through their own research – with specific points in the city through the creation of newly commissioned works. In connection to the site, the works aim to unveil the historic layers it entails, setting the tone for yet another sediment of meaning and thus disputing the versions of history endorsed by the state – in the case of public monuments, streets or public institutions –, or capitalism – in the case of a city construct that lasted because of its commercial success. The resulting plural perspectives each depart from the will to reflect globally and locally, considering that many of the local happenings these sites refer to, in their history or meaning, had transnational effects or were caused by transnational dynamics.

In a time of crisis, in which nostalgic feeling is exploited by fascist groups, the artistic positions each and in dialogue with each other critically engage with a globalised world that in the face of political polarisation still, and again, praises nationalism and white supremacist principles of identity. As Antonio Gramsci reflected on times that see fascism on the rise, “the old world is dying and the new world struggles to be born. Now is the time of monsters.” Plural Perspectives tackles the present time of monsters and disputes consecrated versions of history in order to allow for new futures to come to fruition. The conversations led by the artists each propose a specific tone and point of reflection in relation to the past. They possess different positionalities in relation to the constructs they aim to connect with – fostering new discussions and ways of seeing that transgress institutionalised discourse and history – and creating alliances between anti-fascist points of views, proletarian fight and identity politics as a bet on how to critically engage with the world around us.

Text: Dereck Marouço Sant’Anna da Silva