Richard the Poet Fish and Other Strange Encounters

This work invites the viewer to dive into the artist’s absurd world which seems not too far from reality. Between ecological destruction, extreme tourism, and capitalistic values, the “successful” characters try to seek for connection in a lonely world.

In their practice Floyd Schleußinger steps into the shoes of different characters. They allow the artist to explore and play with subjects like ecological destruction, non-human perspectives, gender performativity and hyperreality. The characters Schleußinger creates have a certain awkwardness and ungracefulness about them. They are way too self obsessed and try to curate their image, which does not always turn out in their favour. The artist is interested in peeking behind the facade, the characters have created for themselves. They are not as successful, as popular, as perfect as they seem. In the age of social media, celebrity culture and influencers, reality is not as it used to be. Everything is carefully curated, people are becoming brands and earning massive amounts of money with it. By creating a story of themselves which is as scripted as a movie.

At the same time the exploitation of the planet takes its toll on numerous species and entire eco-systems collapse. Be it overfishing, oil spills, lithium extraction or space tourism. Or in this case deep sea tourism. The impacts are immense for the planet. To talk about these subjects Schleußinger finds it important to step into the shoes not only of humans but also of plants, animals, and eco-systems. What is their voice? What is their role? What do they have to say about this fast-paced, wild world?