El Dorado

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights defines a globally valid understanding of human dignity. Yet, “violations of human rights seem to be like images on large billboards: people only see them from the other side of the road”. (Juli Zeh). El Dorado, legendary land of gold in South America, provides the metaphor and title for this catalogue, which examines the promise of global recognition and implementation of human rights, a promise that is far from being kept.

The power of the work of the artists gathered here raises awareness of crises, and, since they illustrate these conflicts or visualise violations of human rights, the drawings, photographs, video pieces, sculptures and installations also work on an abstract level.