12th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art

Messy Glossary

Term

Capitalism

Texts

Proposed by Alex Ostojski

What, how much, and whom do we desire? Capitalism marks the horizon—up to here and no further, and after me: destruction. Capitalism has long since penetrated all spheres of life; left behind are devastated lands wherever the eye settles and suicidal societies with Stockholm syndrome. Trapped in a toxic relationship, a fragile middle class wants more, more, more of the benefits whose fleeting pleasure makes them forget excesses of violence and creates a false sense of security. Addicted to their tormentor, the majority cling to a system “that, in the course of five hundred years of exploitation of the earth, has repeatedly demonstrated its inability to ensure the well-being of the world’s population, a … system … increasingly dependent on the violence of its bombs to maintain its rule.”(1)

1 Silvia Federici, Aufstand aus der Küche: Reproduktionsarbeit im globalen Kapitalismus und die unvollendete feministische Revolution, vol. 1 of Kitchen Politics (Münster, 2020). Translated by the author.