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The prevalance of deceit is present in the pursuit of desire
(John Donne, Luminarium editions 1653)

Through my work, I seek to investigate the relation between social hierarchy and the use of the symbols of consumption in our daily lives. In a culture where our value as individuals is quite often measured by social position and the status symbols we’ve been able to collect, we are painfully aware of the necessity to succeed and achieve.

Within this context, I am inspired by the biological principle of ‘mimicry’, meaning the imitation of one species (or group of species) by another. The most common form is Batesian mimicry in which, for instance, a harmless hoverfly can have the colouring of a poisonous wasp in order to confuse a predator. As consumers, we connect our personality to material objects and elevate them to symbols; we buy myths, dreams and a way of life.

As the hoverfly imitates the wasp, I try to imitate the stereotypical underdog; the unaccomplished stutterer, the hardworking flop, all of whom have an unflinching determination against the odds. For example, when I take on the roles of a wannabe gangsta-rapper, a starry-eyed ice princess or an underachieving weapons dealer, I surround myself with suitable but reproduced status symbols: a Lamborghini, a Rolex or a well filled trophy cabinet

Anne Schiffer, living statue
anne schiffer, sumo
ordnung ist das halbe leben Anne Schiffer, redefine the enemy Bayreuth
Anne Schiffer "ordnung ist das halbe leben" anneschiffer_spurensucherung

Can art express an opinion on current political issues, religious tolerance or the power of capitalism?

REDEFINE THE ENEMY examines the political potential of art in a changing society. I am particularly interested in the difference between winners and losers, between accepted and unacceptable behaviour.

In this recent work I raises the matter of the failure of great ideologies by showing that which truly governs us: the power of money.

anne schiffer spurensicherung x-act Anne Schiffer
anneschiffer_ordner anne schiffer sign anne schiffer sign
Anne_Schiffer_sign anneschiffer+thm anneschiffer sign

The sun is shining! Sweat it out! Sweat for success!

All you need is a racket and a pair of balls.

While there are endless principles and lessons to learn, and you refine techniques and strategies, there is also something much more basic that separates the good from the great:

Drive and Desire.

Anne_Schiffer_tennis

GOLDFEVER

Gold! Gold fever!
Good as gold.
Golden thoughts.
Gold medals.
Golden years.
Solid gold Cadillac.

Go for the gold! It has been a symbol of power, wealth and success. It has provoked greed and lust. It has been hoarded. It has launched expeditions and wars.

Gold is beautiful; it is an addiction. Gold is a man-made tragedy inasmuch as it is the stuff of dreams.

FUCK MOHAMMED B. EN JE MOEDER

The ideology of the gallery space can’t compete with the compelling raw energy,
imagination and speed of the everyday in the public domain. On the other hand the white cube is like an antidote, a remedy to save what otherwise gets lost in the speed of modern life: it can slow the pace of our daily lives and grab our attention for it in a striking manner. 

I want to leverage, not deny, the weaknesses and strenghts of both domains.
To close the gap between the architected, pre-encoded gallery space and the outside world, where art doesn’t exist or is indiscernible, I want to regard them both simply as neutral territories one can physically mark out, or claim. 

im·i·ta·tion n

1. something made to be as much as possible like something else (often usedbefore a noun)

2. the act or an instance of imitating somebody or something, or of using something or somebody as a model

3.the act of mimicking somebody, or an impression of somebody

4. the repetition of a musical idea such as a melody or rhythmic figure in another part, often at another pitch and sometimes with variation

adj: synthetic, intended as a copy of something, or not genuine

'R-E-S-P-E-C-T'

Some people demand it; others want you to beg for it. Still others swim in their own.

Respect is something everyone wants and some people carry their desire for it to the extreme. 

ANYTHING GOES:
The first thing to remember is to do anything it takes to win. Even if you have to bite, scratch, and kick, there are no rules. You have to fight like an animal if necessary.

The old phrase in the martial arts is 'to be humble', but be humble only to a point. Be a person because you choose to be, not because you're being intimidated.

FIGHT FAST, FIGHT HARD:
If you find yourself in a position where you have no other choise but to fight, do it fast and get it over with.

STRIKE WHILE HE ARGUES WITH YOU:
If you can hit your opponent while he's in the middle of a sentence or a word, you have the element of surprise. He can't think of two things at the same time.

SPIT IN HIS FACE AT THE EXACT MOMENT YOU STRIKE:
Normally, a grown man will flinch because he doesn't like the idea of someone spitting in his face.

A CAR FOR THE GODS

Exceeding limitations, exceeding expectations.


This is what excellentie is all about. From one challenge to the next:
I am so much better than all the rest.

Driven like no other model before, featuring a variable suspension with double wishbones at the front and the rear, using automatic or manual adjustment, while my nose rises by 45mm when driving over speedbumps, and an adjustable rear wing raises itself when speed rises.

For those who demand the fastest engine in the world:
I am litterally bristling with vents, scoop and air intakes.