Lars Ø Ramberg, Benefit of Doubt

Norwegian artist Lars Ramberg (b. 1964) represented Norway at the 52nd Venice Biennale and at the 27th Biennale in São Paulo. His works are closely related to the context of public spaces, where they are being made. He often uses recognizable symbols and objects or ready-mades, deliberately provoking public discussion. During his speech he will justify such artistic approach by drawing numerous examples. With Liberté, standing now in front of the Norwegian Parliament, Lars Ramberg tells of a monument to individual rights and freedoms. Three original Parisian toilets from 1979, a time when unisex self-cleaning public toilets became the ultimate expression of equality, are emblazoned with the text Liberté, Egalité and Fraternité and given colours of the national flags of Norway. Among Ramberg’s most debated projects is a Monument to Doubt of 2005 – Palast des Zweifels – in Berlin. The project expressed the vital feature of the German post-war identity and questioned the attempts to transform history overnight. Before it was demolished, Ramberg crowned the building with ZWEIFEL for 6 months, arousing discussions. Now, a decade later, the discussion is in the air again with cultural institutions and others questioning the reconstructed Kaiser Friedriech's Stadtpalatz and calling for ZWEIFEL to adorn the structure.