Decadente Dictators
ProDemos
DISCIPLINES
Art direction, Campaign, Exhibition, Social
About opulence and luxury in dictatorships
DISCIPLINES
Art direction, Campaign, Exhibition, Social
About the exhibition
In a democracy, self-enrichment of those in power and prominent people is not accepted. There are rules and laws to prevent this and it is a subject of public debate. This is very different in a dictatorship. The absolute power of the leader often leads to scenes of bizarre personality cults, outrageous prestige projects and excessive spending. This wealth is in stark contrast to the circumstances in which ordinary people find themselves.
The exhibition ‘Decadent Dictators’ shows the personal wealth with which ten autocrats in the present and recent past surround themselves: Ben Ali (Tunisia), Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe), Saparmurat Niazov (Turkmenistan), Moammar al-Qadhafi (Libya), Kim Jong Un (North Korea), Bashar al-Assad (Syria), Saddam Hussein (Iraq) Hassanal Bolkiah (Brunei), Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud (Saudi Arabia), Alexander Lukashenko (Belarus).
The opening of the exhibition is on Friday 6 September at 18:00, Exhibition space ProDemos, second floor Hofweg 1 The Hague . Admission is free.
This project was developed in the context of the Night of the Dictatorship (13 September from 8:00 PM to 1:00 AM), but the exhibition can also be viewed separately at ProDemos in The Hague from Monday to Friday from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM from 9 to 27 September.
Colophon
Client: Jochum de Graaf (ProDemos)
Artistic director: Renate Boere (DRS22)
Choice of dictators: David Muntslag (ProDemos) in collaboration with students (WDKA): Gulsen Emre and Janelle Aarts
Image research by students: Gulsen Emre, Janelle Aarts, Lotte Biesheuvel, Hyder Ajezairi, Sema Rosso and Tim Hölscher
Exhibition and invitation design: Renate Boere in collaboration with Janelle Aarts