Ethics in a World of Strangers: Nirveda Alleck and Eric van Hove

Exhibition catalog for the iconic exhibition, Ethics in a World of Strangers: Nirveda Alleck and Eric van Hove, curated by the MoMA expert Ugoschukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi at Richard Taittinger Gallery at 154 ludlow Street  April 25-July 2,2017. 

Ethics in a World of Strangers was exhibited in the context and was presented in the context of the first election of president Donald Trump.

  Against the backdrop of resurgent nativism, nationalism, and xenophobia that currently outlines the global political landscape, this exhibition asks the question: what are the values of universal fraternity, compassion, and worldliness? In the climate of travel bans, restricted movement, and border control, in the United States and elsewhere, the ethical imperative of acknowledging the humanity of others is particularly pertinent. The cultural theorist and philosopher Anthony Kwame Appiah describes the inevitability of parochial obligations to family and country. Yet he also insists on non-filial obligations which inscribe our membership in the global community in what he refers to as “Ethics in a World of Strangers.” Whereas cosmopolitanism might reproduce utopia and privilege, Appiah suggests that its true value is a moral economy of tolerance, openness, and coexistence. Artistic contemporaneity demands a cosmopolitan commitment to working across cultures and national boundaries and a concomitant appreciation of diversity and difference. This moral compass anchors this exhibition. Through their individual artistic practices, backgrounds and experiences, Alleck and van Hove make a persuasive argument in this season of anomieThe catalog includes an in-depth introduction written by Nzewi and a critical interview between himself and the two artists. Installation, detail, and overview photographs of the works included in the exhibition are presented throughout the text.

Ugoschukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi