The Value of Nothing

The Value of Nothing sprang from long-term research initiated by TENT into shifts in thinking about value and economy, and the role that art can play therein. In the aftermath of the global economic crisis increasingly urgent questions arise that are related to neoliberal values seeping into almost every aspect of our lives. In addition to the known financial and economic criteria, can we articulate different ideas about the concept of value? What are other possible forms of economic exchange? And what do these alternatives mean for how value manifests itself?

Alternatives to commercialisation
The project presented artists who contribute to the current debate on the commercialisation of society, expose the underlying mechanisms, or propose alternative strategies. They reveal value beyond the mainstream market, like Jeanne van Heeswijk’s project in Rotterdam’s Afrikaanderwijk district, or show that trade in a global economy also means non-monetary cultural exchange, as in Meschac Gaba’s artistic currency exchange bureau. Others, such as Remco Torenbosch, immerse themselves in the beauty and philosophical idea behind the distribution of goods, or like Paolo Cirio, deliver concrete possibilities for dodging tax.

Fieldwork Residencies
Gil & Moti, Weronika Zielinska, Roel Roscam Abbing, Kym Ward and Oblique International each participated in a Fieldwork Residency at a Rotterdam-based company or organisation. They developed proposals that dealt with the values held or produced by the organisation, such as its hospitality to outsiders, equality on the workfloor, or success criteria. Their proposals were presented on Fieldwork Fridays on 3 and 24 October 2014.

Debates
The Rotterdam architecture firm ZUS designed objects that served as a stage for the public programme. In this setting, curator and writer Nat Muller organised Breaking the Bank, a two-part event (16 October and 13 November 2014) in which academics, journalists, and other practitioners explored how art, value and the global economy are interrelated. Erasmus University College students discussed and explored the exhibition’s topics.

The Value of Nothing was made possible by: Stichting DOEN, SNS REAAL Fonds, and Mondriaan Fund
Thanks to: NetExpert, Hotel Van Walsum, VS Schoonmaakbedrijf BV, Marco Tieleman Coaching.