Julius von Bismarck
The Elephant in the Room
Art Basel, Public Program, Petit Palais
Oct 21 – 26, 2025

Julius von Bismarck often plays with the appearance of risk to challenge fixed ideas. “The Elephant in the Room” pairs a taxidermy giraffe with a replica of an equestrian statue of Otto von Bismarck, each collapsing and reassembling in asynchronous loops. Inspired by push puppets, the motorized sculptures question how monuments shape public memory, from the exploitation of nature to political mythmaking. Alongside, the series “OOOSB” compresses flora, fauna, and vestiges of civilisation into pannels, while the video “Grenzen der Intelligenzen” captures insects drawn to artificial lights, their frenzied movements reflecting a loss of orientation in the world.

Caption: Installation view “Julius von Bismarck. When Platitudes Become Form” Berlinische Galerie © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023, Foto: Roman März