A scapegoat comes from the biblical canon: a young goat was released into the wilderness as a sacrifice to God to take on the sins of mankind. Later, it became a lamb that was offered up to God. Gradually, this basic religious ritual has taken different forms. Today’s society has changed almost beyond recognition, with countless innovations and relentless technological progress. Although it no longer happens literally, the idea of the scapegoat still lives on. We see it all around us: in the speeches of politicians, in the newspapers, on social media and in our daily lives.
Who do we hold responsible for the problems in our society? Who will we cast into the wilderness today or tomorrow? It is no longer an animal that carries our burdens: the lamb has been given a human face in the Other. Who this is depends on the bubble you are in. But do we still dare to look at our own sins? Or have we become godlike ourselves? The artist believes that the more technoscientific progress we make in society, the more we lose what really counts: care, love and empathy.
For her exhibition Behold in awe at Kunstenlab, Deventer, Elen Braga spent time in Deventer talking to people to collect urban legends, dreams and myths. She visually translated these stories into vests worn by lambs from Deventer and the surrounding region.