Teach Us To Outgrow Our Madness

Teach Us To Outgrow Our Madness, 1995
Neon
Work: 61 x 111.8 cm

Probing the limitations of art in representing atrocities and the contemporary over-saturation of media images, Alfredo Jaar's multidisciplinary artistic practice explores unequal power relations and sociopolitical divisions, as well as issues relating to global power and exploitation. Through his work, Jaar makes far-reaching connections between ethics and aesthetics, and has become known as one of the most uncompromising, compelling, and innovative artists working today. This neon’s title originally comes from the British poet W.H. Auden and was quoted by novelist Kenzaburo Oe who used the phrase as a title for a collection of short stories dealing with the Hiroshima atomic bombing and Japan's fading collective memory towards the event.