"Hisse uses short text excerpts that point - albeit a bit more camouflaged - to current situations in society. On two screens that are lined up and reminiscent of large mobile screens, the videos appear to be created as Instagram stories. One screen shows video selfies of the artist who, over and over, moves her eyes from right to left. If you look more closely you can see that Hisse stands in various public places which are well-known tourist attractions in Europe, but which are often used in political protests as well. Big Ben in London and City Hall Square in Copenhagen are some of the places she visits. On the second screen, short sentences appear, such as "Is Europe a safe place for criticism" or "strategies instead of hope". Perhaps most interesting is when the work opens to look at differences between tourists and refugees. What do the different groups meet when they come to a new country? What does public space mean for the different groups?" - Hilde Sørstrøm, Hakapik: Internasjonalt Samfunnsengasjement.

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[Documentation - St. Petersburg]

Two fast-paced videos displayed in vertical screens compose Bianca Hisse’s work ‘The future is classy, crisis is sexy’.

Movement in public space is a recurring subject in her practice, this time suggesting a micro, almost imperceptible action: to observe, slowly and persistently. In this work, Bianca appears in strategic points of various cities - squares, parliaments and historical sites - spaces that normally carry a double function: They are not only scenario of countless tourist photos, but also eventually become stage of protests and political demonstrations.

On the screen, the minimal gesture of observing unfolds into an accelerated, frenetic and distorted image in relation to the real rhythm in which the action takes place. Delving into the language of daily communication - the selfie format, quick and short phrases, Instagram typography - the work reflects on how documented action, written language, and current politics of circulation are manifested on our everyday screens.

Places in order of appearance: Palace of Westminster/Big Ben, London; Freedom Square, Tallinn; Seimas Palace, Vilnius, Parliament Square, London; Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen; (to be continued).

Exhibited at Open Out 2019 (Tromsø) and The 12th International Media Arts Festival Cyfest (St. Petersburg, Russia).

[Video excerpt]