2020 + CULT! A dive into mild water
Lavinia Xausa
(2020)
2020 + CULT! A dive into mild water is a year project that focuses on the aesthetic of national-populist movements, investigating the social aspects that make them so compelling among the European population. With her work, Lavinia Xausa wants to illustrate that populism is based on the sense of religion and the sacred as it worships symbols and ideals in similar ways as the ones of a cult. Her main concern is that intertwining politics and fanaticism can be dangerous for the rule of law of our countries.
In order to show her analogy between populism and cults, Xausa visually investigated those situations where a symbol and a code are worshipped in very powerful and astonishing ways, as for example, in the relationship held between football fans in the stadiums, or by dancers in the underground techno-(gabber) scene. Indeed, these supporters abandon themselves completely, forming a sort of cult. With her work, she want to create a brand new symbol to worship so as to underline the beauty and the danger of these practices beyond law and democracy.