Julia Strikovska and Deniz Güvensoy

20 December 2023 – 11 January 2024 , Fabrikraum Kunstverein

The veil of ignorance” is a key concept of the political philosopher John Rawls. It is based on the principle that, to ensure ultimate social and political justice, representatives of basic institutions and structures make their judgments as if they are behind a veil that conceals all personal characteristics and concepts, social and historical circumstances, to prevent biases while making decisions. Despite often being considered idealistic, Rawls’ idea of justice was adopted as a cornerstone for social agreements in so-called developed Western democracies. The concept is best illustrated by the image of the ancient Greek goddess of justice, Themis (Femida).

However, even if it sounds perfect, to what extent could this idea be applied to practical conditions, in real life? To what extent can agents of a judicial system, state institutions, the public, and opposing political groups isolate themselves from their cultural-historical, socio-political, and psychological backgrounds?

The artwork consists of twelve photographs of people with different backgrounds wearing blindfolds reminiscent of the veil of Themis. Taking the pose inherent to the goddess of justice and slightly manipulating with an angle and perspective we observe how the perception of having agency, power, dedication, and determination could change. The artwork was presented in the Fabrikraum Kunstverein in the framework of the Questionmeandanswer project between the dates 20 December 2023 – 11 January 2024.

This is an ongoing project, that will have future editions that consist of public performances, interviews, and video essays.