[ about ]

GLOBALALIEN is a network of artists and theorists from Germany, Korea, Iceland, Denmark, Japan, Austria and the Philippines which examines and questions the mechanisms of globalization.

The mechanisms of globalization are forcing the abolition of economic boundaries whilst at the same time borders in other sectors are being tightened. Seen on a 'global' scale the world is growing together, yet on a 'human' scale we find a process of fragmentation taking place.
GLOBALALIEN counters this with an attitude to life, a linking of people throughout the world who have been uprooted and are searching for new frames of reference.

The focus is always on the 'global alien' who crosses cultural and national boundaries, thus making it possible for people to encounter a foreign or "alien" person. That which is alien is determined by the boundaries separating the known from the unknown. Where do these borders lie and who is it that maintains them? How can they be opened or extended? How does the construction of alienness differ from country to country?

GLOBALALIEN has taken up the challenge of building an international network that addresses contemporary local topics and issues and produces transcultural ways of approaching them. The goal is an exchange between different cultures which can acquire a productive local connection.

GLOBALALIEN transforms the exhibition venue into a place where art is produced. Through films, performances and workshops they invite audiences to become part of the project. By asking visitors to encounter unfamiliar surroundings or by alienating their accustomed surroundings, they are invited to reflect on their own cultural and social identity, which is reciprocally related to the alien.

Exhibition projects by GLOBALALIEN have been and are currently being shown in a number of countries. They always refer directly to their respective surroundings and stage their contents accordingly in ever new ways.


Here more on the notion 'alien' by the philosopher:
Dong Gyu Kim 'Aliens and we' (donggyukim.pdf - 152kB)