Baker Wardlaw at For
Solo show «Crisis Actor», May 18 until June 29, 2024
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Baker Wardlaw, Solo show, «Crisis Actor», curated by Valerie Keller and Matthias Liechti, at For, Basel, 2024 / Photo: Gina Folly / Courtesy: the artist and For, Basel
Crisis Actor
Field training. Two teenagers sitting on a table, drinking beer. People in safety vests approach them. Smoke streams across the floor, a fireman crawls along the hose into the building, his face covered with a sheet. In The Scenario House, a quarreling couple is threatening each other with weapons, the door bursts open and bodies stream in, pushing the man to the ground. Crises are tested and overcome; real life is experienced at first hand. Recognizing patterns enables us to act. However, crises are not to be found in natural conditions. They have to be repeatedly retold, problematized and brought to attention, as only an established crisis provides the source and legitimacy for change: New boundaries can then finally be drawn and new orders established. So, the question is how something is turned into a problem and by whom. And whether we want to be part of the problem, which may not be a problem, or its solution. In case of doubt, the crisis actor offers emotional guidance, but can their acting always be trusted? If the formula is wrapped in the right algorithm, the proposal for problematization can cause leverage effect – in other words, whoever convinces the most wins. The use of dark patterns and other dubious methods are not only permitted, they are the norm. With a little bit of luck, it will work. Welcome!
Image Captions
01 exhibition view, Baker Wardlaw, Crisis Actor, For, Basel
02 Baker Wardlaw, mirror, 2023, hi-visibility paint on non-structural walls of the exhibition space, variable dimensions
03 Baker Wardlaw, (bit) apparatus, 2024, vauban barriers (BS), steel ballasts (VD), hardware, 110 x 250 x 250 cm
04-07 Closeup images of (bit) apparatus, 2024
08-09 Exhibition views, Baker Wardlaw, Crisis Actor, For, Basel
10 Baker Wardlaw, (information exploit) apparatus, 2024, bead blast stainless steel, glass, cast aluminum, smd stencil, hardware, 100 x 70 x 30 cm
11-12 Closeup images of (information exploit) apparatus, 2024
13 Exhibition view, Baker Wardlaw, Crisis Actor, For, Basel
14-19 Various artworks by Baker Wardlaw
Baker Wardlaw, Solo show, «Crisis Actor», curated by Valerie Keller and Matthias Liechti, at For, Basel, 2024 / Photo: Gina Folly / Courtesy: the artist and For, Basel
Baker Wardlaw, Solo show, «Crisis Actor», curated by Valerie Keller and Matthias Liechti, at For, Basel, 2024 / Photo: Gina Folly / Courtesy: the artist and For, Basel
Baker Wardlaw, Solo show, «Crisis Actor», curated by Valerie Keller and Matthias Liechti, at For, Basel, 2024 / Photo: Gina Folly / Courtesy: the artist and For, Basel
Baker Wardlaw, Solo show, «Crisis Actor», curated by Valerie Keller and Matthias Liechti, at For, Basel, 2024 / Photo: Gina Folly / Courtesy: the artist and For, Basel
Baker Wardlaw, Solo show, «Crisis Actor», curated by Valerie Keller and Matthias Liechti, at For, Basel, 2024 / Photo: Gina Folly / Courtesy: the artist and For, Basel
Baker Wardlaw, Solo show, «Crisis Actor», curated by Valerie Keller and Matthias Liechti, at For, Basel, 2024 / Photo: Gina Folly / Courtesy: the artist and For, Basel
Baker Wardlaw, Solo show, «Crisis Actor», curated by Valerie Keller and Matthias Liechti, at For, Basel, 2024 / Photo: Gina Folly / Courtesy: the artist and For, Basel
Baker Wardlaw, Solo show, «Crisis Actor», curated by Valerie Keller and Matthias Liechti, at For, Basel, 2024 / Photo: Gina Folly / Courtesy: the artist and For, Basel
Baker Wardlaw, Solo show, «Crisis Actor», curated by Valerie Keller and Matthias Liechti, at For, Basel, 2024 / Photo: Gina Folly / Courtesy: the artist and For, Basel
Baker Wardlaw, Solo show, «Crisis Actor», curated by Valerie Keller and Matthias Liechti, at For, Basel, 2024 / Photo: Gina Folly / Courtesy: the artist and For, Basel
Baker Wardlaw, Solo show, «Crisis Actor», curated by Valerie Keller and Matthias Liechti, at For, Basel, 2024 / Photo: Gina Folly / Courtesy: the artist and For, Basel
Baker Wardlaw, Solo show, «Crisis Actor», curated by Valerie Keller and Matthias Liechti, at For, Basel, 2024 / Photo: Gina Folly / Courtesy: the artist and For, Basel
Baker Wardlaw, Solo show, «Crisis Actor», curated by Valerie Keller and Matthias Liechti, at For, Basel, 2024 / Photo: Gina Folly / Courtesy: the artist and For, Basel
Baker Wardlaw, Solo show, «Crisis Actor», curated by Valerie Keller and Matthias Liechti, at For, Basel, 2024 / Photo: Gina Folly / Courtesy: the artist and For, Basel
Baker Wardlaw, Solo show, «Crisis Actor», curated by Valerie Keller and Matthias Liechti, at For, Basel, 2024 / Photo: Gina Folly / Courtesy: the artist and For, Basel
Baker Wardlaw, Solo show, «Crisis Actor», curated by Valerie Keller and Matthias Liechti, at For, Basel, 2024 / Photo: Gina Folly / Courtesy: the artist and For, Basel
Baker Wardlaw, Solo show, «Crisis Actor», curated by Valerie Keller and Matthias Liechti, at For, Basel, 2024 / Photo: Gina Folly / Courtesy: the artist and For, Basel
Baker Wardlaw, Solo show, «Crisis Actor», curated by Valerie Keller and Matthias Liechti, at For, Basel, 2024 / Photo: Gina Folly / Courtesy: the artist and For, Basel
