For her exhibition at Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.), Hito Steyerl, together with the artists Giorgi Gago Gagoshidze and Miloš Trakilović, developed a lecture that continues the artist’s exploration of the conditions of capitalist production, consumer culture, and mechanisms of commodification.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: BELANCIEGE places the luxury brand Balenciaga at the center of a reflection on political and cultural changes in Europe, 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall – a time when neoliberalism and populism go hand in hand. On November 21, the lecture was presented online on the n.b.k. website; afterwards it can be seen as a 3-channel video installation, which has been specially designed for this exhibition.

Music and sound directed by Mikk Madisson.

Giorgi Gago Gagoshidze was born in 1983 in Kutaissi / Georgia and lives and works in Berlin. He studied fine arts at the State Academy of Arts in Tbilisi (2001–2007) and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague (2008–2010), as well as experimental film and video with Hito Steyerl at the University of the Arts in Berlin (2012–2016). In his works, Gagoshidze considers issues such as the moving image, the political background of its production and distribution, and its socio-political significance. Group exhibitions (selection): Steirischer Herbst, Graz (2019); Kai 10 | Arthena Foundation, Düsseldorf (2018); Harun Farocki Institute, Berlin (2017); Artists Unlimited, Bielefeld (2016); Acud Macht Neu, Berlin (2015); Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst, Leipzig (2015); Museum of Photography, Berlin (2015); Folkwang Museum, Essen (2014); F/Stop – Festival for Photography, Leipzig (2012); Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin (2012).

Hito Steyerl was born in Munich in 1966 and lives and works in Berlin. She studied documentary film and theory at the Academy of Visual Arts in Tokyo (1987–1990) and at the Academy for Television and Film in Munich (1992–1998), and received her doctorate in philosophy from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna (2003). Since 2011 she has been a professor at the Berlin University of the Arts. In her artistic works and theoretical writings, Steyerl reflects on our world in times of hypercapitalism, digital lifestyle, globalization, and increasing political crises. Solo exhibitions (selection): Kunstmuseum Basel (2018); The Institute for Contemporary Art, Boston (2017); Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen (2016); Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2016); Tensta Konsthall, Stockholm (2015); Artists Space, New York (2015); Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid (2015). Group exhibitions (selection): 58th Venice Biennale (2019); Skulptur Projekte Münster (2017); 32nd São Paulo Biennale (2016); Gwangju Biennale (2016); Whitechapel Gallery, London (2016); Kunsthalle Wien (2015; 2014); ZKM, Karlsruhe (2015); Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich (2015); 56th Venice Biennale (2015); Museum of Modern Art, New York (2014). Steyerl also took part in Documenta 12 (2007).

Miloš Trakilović was born in 1989 in Tuzla / Bosnia and Herzegovina. He lives and works in Berlin and Rotterdam. He studied fine arts at Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam (2009–2012) and experimental film and video with Hito Steyerl at the University of the Arts in Berlin (2012–2016). His artistic practice revolves around the politics of perception and is often influenced by his biography. Using experiences of war as a basis, he explores questions of dissolution, fragmentation, and memory. Group exhibitions (selection): Danube Dialogues, Novi Sad / Serbia (2019); Harun Farocki Institute, Berlin (2017); Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin (2017); Kunstverein Rosa Luxemburg Platz, Berlin (2016); Acud Macht Neu, Berlin (2015); Österängens Konsthall, Jönköping / Sweden (2015); Galerie für zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig (2015); Museum for Photography, Berlin (2014); Folkwang Museum, Essen (2014).