Thomas Locher: Homo Oeconomicus – Exploring Language, Economy, and Subjectivity Through Conceptual Art

This exhibition by German artist Thomas Locher delves into the relationship between language and economy, examining concepts of exchange, credit, and belief. Through new images, objects, and animations, Locher explores how these systems shape the subject.

The German artist Thomas Locher, recognized for his pioneering conceptual art since the late 1980s, uses his exhibition 'Homo Oeconomicus' at the Secession to continue his exploration of the relationship between language, economy, and the acting subject within these systems. The exhibition features a significant number of new works, including images, objects, and animations, that address aspects of exchange, credit structures, faith, and credibility, and their impact on the constitution of the subject. A key series, 'SMALL GIFT. TO GIVE. GIVING. GIVEN. GIFT, IF THERE IS ANY … (J.D.)' (2006/2013), combines accessible media images of giving and gestures with revised quotes from Jacques Derrida's 'Falschgeld'. This series questions the possibility of a pure gift, devoid of economic expectations, and reveals the formal and informal binding forces of society through the paradoxical phenomenon of giving. Another body of work juxtaposes reproductions of Giotto's frescoes 'The Kiss of Judas' and 'The Washing of the Feet' with Marxist analyses of commodity circulation (W-G-W and G-W-G), exploring the transformation of goods and money into capital. Locher's characteristic method of montage brings together contradictory meanings within a single image, creating an ambiguous and open interplay. Within the exhibition space, Locher arranges all works in a linear fashion, along one side of the gallery rooms, contrary to the usual reading direction. In the final room, two digital text works, 'HOMO OECONOMICUS, DER KREDIT / Vorspann' and 'HOMO OECONOMICUS, DAS SUBJEKT DER ÖKONOMIE / Abspann' (both 2013), serve as reference systems for definitions and questions applicable to the entire exhibition. Utilizing the cinematic form of opening and closing credits, Locher displays varied, often contradictory definitions related to credit and the 'economic subject,' reflecting its future-oriented logic of expectation, payment terms, deferral, and interest. Thomas Locher's image-text constructions aim to relativize universal and legal principles, critically exploring the political implications structurally inscribed in language and demonstrating their impact on human coexistence and action. Critics highlight how Locher has developed various work forms along the lines of conceptual art, semiotics, deconstruction, and post-structuralism, significantly advancing the information paradigm of conceptual art. His montages, unlike purely referential works, create 'literal' intersections between aesthetic and semantic information, translating between iconic and grammatical rules to structurally reveal themes like trade, credit, legislation, and justice.

Information regarding tickets can be found via a provided link. The exhibition is presented by the Secession, Vienna, with general information available on their website regarding visiting and ticketing. Pricing details are not provided on this page; visitors are directed to a ticketing portal for further information. Admission context may be related to general museum entry or require a specific exhibition ticket, as indicated by the ticketing link. The page mentions 'Informationen & Tickets' as a section within the site navigation. It is also noted that the Secession is open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 AM to 6 PM, which may pertain to exhibition access hours.