Difference on display

Text by Ine Gevers, Renu Addlahka, Michel Callon, Johnson Cheu, Amade M'Charek. Difference on display Diversity in art, science and society This book was published on the occasion of the exhibition Niet normaal - Difference on Display, held in the Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam from 16 December 2009 to 8 March 2010. Difference on Display poses the question of what is normal and who decides this from a variety of angles. The pursuit of perfection dominates our lives, it has become a norm in Western society. Being beautiful and happy is an option, so being unhappy must be our own fault. Yet by participating in this process of homogenized perfection we deprive ourselves of the chance to really live – an irony not los on many of today’s artists. In Difference on Display more than 90 international artist including Marlene Dumas, Thomas Hirschhorn, Nathalie Djurberg, Liza May Post, Marc Quinn and Louise Bourgeois, show us different ways of seeing the world: shocking and harsh, but humorous and touching as well. A series of essays exploring diverse issues such as the exponential increase in ADHD, competing with cyborg athletes, the battle between the able-bodied and disabled in sci-fi films and able people using technical aids complement the works of art. They were written by such highly respected names in their field as Donna Haraway, Tom Shakespeare, Amade M’charek, Trudy Dehue and Michel Callon. Difference on Display inspires, excites, grips the imagination and gives us cause for reflection.