There are two kinds of contemporary political art: the bold, know-all approach, which conveys a good feeling to its viewers, and painstakingly researched projects, in which art nears the limits of its traditional field of influence. In his exhibition in the Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Jesper Nordahl presents the Women’s Center self-help project and the Kotmale hydro power plant project in Sri Lanka. Using eight videos and a large-format billboard, he illuminates the political context and the effect of “Free Trade Zones” and shows alternatives to the World Trade Organisation’s current policy.

For a long time now, Nordahl has made an intense study of western economic aid; the principles of its implementation and the question of its moral legitimacy. He has travelled to focal points of globalisation, areas where western political and economic strategies have failed, and has gained his own impression of the conflicts involved – at protests against the WTO, or viewing the work of women’s action centres and documenting their efforts for better living conditions.