Alex Morrison


Don’t let them see us, don’t show them what we are doing, 2007

bookstore Walther König, Ehrenstraße 4, Mon–Fri 10:00 am – 7:00 pm, Sat 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

In his works, Canadian artist Alex Morrison (*1972) takes social groups in the urban context as the starting point for an exploration of public space. He examines how far radical subcultures can be perceived as authentic in times of media commercialization. His contribution to the exhibition “Models for Tomorrow: Cologne” is a sandwich board that announces midnight bike rides in the city of Cologne. This purely fictional action is based on the politically motivated “mass rides” by bicy-clists in the USA. Yet Morrison’s tours are neither politically 
motivated nor planned as socially critical protest actions; they are not even organized. Only the meeting point and time are set. His concept not only implies that such a ride could be carried out 
in the practical sense, but it also alludes to the potential for a mass phenomenon, originating with 
the populace, which would occur 
outside the sphere of overly organized, institutionalized mega-events. Morrison confronts the passivity of the recipient in the usual institutional contexts with his call for self-determining action.