The exhibition “Extremely Normal” is dedicated to the ambivalence of visual representations of far-right violence. The visual stereotype of the “far-right outlaw” seems to be outdated as it does not grasp the vast extent of the current manifestations of affiliation with extreme nationalist and right-wing policies. Nonetheless, the portrayal of far-right hooligans or protesters is prevalent, especially in the journalistic approach – even if this repetition of stereotypes, poses, and gestures might limit the idea of who the actors and backers of the scene are. Moreover, the victims and those affected by far-right violence are often out of focus and become voiceless.
The artists in the exhibition deploy different artistic strategies and media-reflexive approaches to come to terms with the far right by visual means and to recognize the often troubling commonalities of reference, uncanny familiarity, and structural racism that our societies are complicit with.
