Silence is not a neutral position. When no one speaks up against loud slogans, it quickly seems as if there were no dissenting voices. This is exactly where Silence Kills comes in.
Taking a Stand
Silence Kills is a project by the artist collective ROOOOOM. It takes a critical and questioning look at the "wavering centre", the general shift to the right and everyday discrimination in our society. It is about taking a stand: for greater solidarity with our fellow human beings, with refugees and with people from migrant backgrounds, including the second and third generations. And it is about clearly expressing one's own values and hopes for the society we want to live in.
One Voice, One Poster
A key part of the project is a poster campaign that can also be seen on the streets of Düsseldorf. Photographer Kilian van den Water portrays people who want to make their opinion public. Every portrait and every statement is an opinion made visible, a voice that the collective then pastes up in public space. Each poster is put up only once, so that every new poster shows that another voice has joined in solidarity.
In a short intermezzo, Pretty Portal presents a selection of these posters: the voices of people who do not just share their opinions among friends, but are prepared to take them public.
Become Part of the Campaign
On the opening night and on two further dates during the two-week exhibition, visitors have the opportunity to become part of the campaign themselves. The participation fee for the photo project is €3.
From the Silence Kills Manifesto (translated)
"At the moment, there is a fascist and populist development in politics that cancels out the conventional neutral position of silence, because without a counter-voice, the false impression arises that there are too few people who think differently. A number of interviews were conducted with right-wing demonstrators to question who these people are and what moves them to take to the streets for fascist politics. Through the media, these interviews have gained a wide reach. Parallel to these events, however, there are also very many people in our society who think quite differently about the current political climate. And that is exactly why, with the Silence Kills campaign, we want to give your voice a place, in the form of a poster campaign. If you are interested in taking part, we will take a portrait photo of you and record a statement, which will be printed together with your portrait on a poster. The poster will then be printed once and put up by us in a public place."
"Silence Kills"
An exhibition by the artist collective ROOOOOM
Opening
15 February, 7 – 10 pm
Photo sessions
20 February, 6 – 8 pm
27 February, 6 – 8 pm
Exhibition
from 15 February, for two weeks
Pretty Portal
Brunnenstraße 12
40223 Düsseldorf
