ANNELIE POHLEN

What is so bewildering about ATTICA is the subtle duality of its distanced, almost minimalistic ›visual language‹ and its provocative, increasingly complex layers of content, namely the simultaneously conceptual and existential themes of narrative, time and place. Without in a declamatory fashion ›naming‹ the dramatic historical event on which the re-enactment is based, Manon de Boer – through the, for her work relevant, discourse on the construction and reception of images/memories – succeeds in setting free both intellectual and emotional processes of perception.

There is no question that video is now so firmly established as an artistic medium within the spectrum of the visual arts, that the ›defence‹ of its relevance, prevalent in the early days of the Videonale, has now taken a back seat. To enhance the festival character, combined with a vital culture of lectures and discussions, cannot be underestimated for artists, art intermediaries and visitors. The fact that similar events throughout the world are in competition with Videonale does not reduce its relevance. On the contrary: it underlines its artistic significance.