FAULTY PARADISE

Berlin
Feb 07 — Mar 15, 2025

XOOOOX
FAULTY PARADISE
OPENING: 7 FEB, 6 PM – 9 PM
EXHIBITION: 8 FEB – 15 MARCH 2025
AOA;87 BERLIN

In the exhibition Faulty Paradise by XOOOOX, the central question revolves around how superficiality, as both a cultural phenomenon and an artistic strategy, shapes our thinking and perception. A possible reference point is the story of the Fall of Man, which invites us to reflect on our own perception and the construction of meaning.

“And He said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?”
– Luther Bible (1912), Genesis 3:11

This biblical quote poses an existential question that has resonated through centuries of Western culture. After Eve and Adam ate from the Tree of Knowledge, they became aware of their nakedness and began to hide—from God and from themselves. This sudden shame symbolizes the birth of self-awareness and the tension between individual identity and societal norms. It creates a field of conflict that also holds the potential for self-reflection and personal transformation.

XOOOOX draws on this moment of “recognition” to explore the dynamics between what we reveal and what we conceal. His works, inspired by contemporary culture and images of pop culture, use this aesthetic to expose societal constructs.

The figures in his works appear perfect and flawless, yet their context challenges this very perfection. Like Adam and Eve, who became aware of their nakedness, these images confront us with how much our understanding of identity and value is shaped by external representations.

However, where the biblical narrative centers on shame and exile, XOOOOX shifts the focus to the creative power of the surface. Here, superficiality is not a flaw but a stage—a “faulty paradise” where contradictions can lead to new perspectives. His use of ephemeral materials, such as eroded metal and cardboard, reflects this approach.

Just as Adam and Eve were cast out of paradise through knowledge, XOOOOX compels us to view the surface as a site of understanding—a place where meanings are created, questioned, and reinterpreted.

Faulty Paradise is not an indictment of superficiality but an invitation to see the surface as part of a larger truth. Beneath every image, every mask, and every polished facade lies a depth waiting to be uncovered.

The exhibition reminds us that superficiality is not the opposite of depth but can be its beginning—if we are willing to look closer. As in the biblical story, knowledge does not mark the end of paradise but the beginning of a conscious life.