064 - 22|08|08

j'aime l'argent* (*I love money) by MAP Office
Opening at 7:00pm on 29.8.2008 (Fri) in the presence of MAP Office (Laurent Gutierrez/ Valérie Portefaix)

29.8. - 15.9.2008
10am-8pm (Mo-Fr);2pm-6pm (Sa)
Goethe-Gallery, Goethe-Institut Hongkong
14/F Hong Kong Arts Centre, Wanchai

http://www.goethe.de/ins/cn/hon/ver/en3536516v.htm

While Agnès b. stresses its passion for the cinema ('j'aime le cinema!'), the Goethe-Institut Hongkong - also based in the Hong Kong Arts Centre - approaches MAP OFFICE's most recent works under the title: 'j'aime l'argent' ('I love money').

The Goethe-Institut Hongkong presents MAP OFFICE's works from August 29 to September 15, 2008 at the Goethe-Gallery. The exhibition consists of 5 banknotes, a 52-minute video show and 2 neon lights.

J'aime l'argent (I love money) is inspired by the ongoing omnipresent issue of profitability and its symptomatic effect on the social role of money. Which values should a society promote? This is a tough and generic question. Even more difficult but specific: Could these values be inserted into the medium of exchange - i.e. money? - therefore - Which symbols should be represented? - and finally - What kind of economy should it support?

MAP OFFICE started many years ago to elaborate a series of works regarding production in China, and more specifically a textile factory that became our laboratory and model to experiment with the 'harmonious society'. Started in 1968 in Hong Kong, the 'City of Production' moved in 1989 to a large site located at the border between Shenzhen and Dongguan. Since then, it has constantly developed a fabulous environment to challenge a 'positive capitalism' through landscape engineering and social benefits for its 10,000 workers.

HAR - Human Accelerated Region - is an index of a region under massive transformation. The HAR project starts from those fundamental questions and premises. Then HAR money could become a new medium of exchange based on equity. The 5 banknotes - 1, 5, 20, 100, 500 - represent the City of Production's main values. They also increase the level of achievement that each of the banknotes carries; starting from the 'Infrastructure' and the 'Technology' to move higher towards human activities such as 'Work' and 'Life' and ending up with 'Ecology'. The HAR money serves as a manifesto to promote a dynamic equilibrium for a 'harmonious society'.

MAP OFFICE is an open platform conceived by Laurent Gutierrez and Valérie Portefaix to reform the daily practice and to reconstruct the life-world. Based in Hong Kong, MAP OFFICE has participated in several local and international exhibitions, including the 1st International Architecture Biennale in Rotterdam, the 2nd Guangzhou Triennial, the Zones of Contact - 2006 Biennale of Sydney and at the 52nd International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia (2007).

The Goethe-Institut Hongkong showed MAP OFFICE's works of 'Extended Territory' in October 2007 and an installation photograph taken from that exhibition is selected as the cover for this year's Yearbook of the Goethe-Institut worldwide.