The conundrum of control. Making sense through artistic practices

Every day we encounter situations in which “things spin out of control” or in which our forms of life are subjected to increasingly stringent controls. Our daily lives seem to oscillate between these two poles. However, the nature of control is a difficult conundrum to probe. Art practices help us make sense of the paradoxes related to the enhancing interplay between control and non-control by putting them on display. The author argues that cooperation between these two poles is essential but is currently hindered, leading to a sterile bipolarity. What happens if this interplay between the two poles collapses? The essay is structured into three parts: the first defines control and its relationship with law, life, and art. The second part characterizes artistic practices based on their functions in human experience. The third part delves into two exemplary cases: Taiwanese artist Tehching Hsieh and Swiss artist Thomas Hirschhorn.