27 january 2023, Flor Linckens
Two Minutes to Midnight: an exciting discussion on politics and gender
Until 11 February, you can view an extraordinary video installation by the Israeli artist Yael Bartana at Annet Gelink Gallery in Amsterdam.
In the film 'Two Minutes to Midnight' (2021) (47 mins) we see how an all-female government of a powerful, fictional country meets in a so-called peace room. They face a problem: while they are working towards unilateral disarmament and a more peaceful world, they must deal with a self-absorbed, incoherent and easily distracted male president of an opposing country, who has recently declared a nuclear strike: Arnold Twitler. It is easy to see a parallel with a recent American president. The Doomsday clock on the wall shows the time: two minutes to midnight. After a while, the five actors at the table are joined by a panel of experts: scientists, politicians, soldiers, defense consultants, lawyers and activists who also fulfill this role in their real lives. Together, they look for a solution in order to prevent a catastrophe. Will they go along with the male logic, at least in part, or do they radically distance themselves from it? The longer the conversation lasts, the more complex the considerations become. The clock is ticking in the background and the situation is becoming increasingly urgent.
The resulting conversation is exciting and dynamic, in part because the people in the film consist of a combination of actors and experts, who use both scripted material and improvisation. Bartana's speculative role-play was originally released as an experimental theatrical performance under the name 'What if Women Ruled the World?', a central question that is raised in the discussion. Registrations in Aarhus and Berlin form the basis for the film, supplemented with elements from 'Bury Our Weapons, Not Our Bodies', which was filmed in Philadelphia. 'Two Minutes to Midnight' effectively forms the last part of Bartana's transdisciplinary series 'What if Women Ruled the World?'.
Anyone familiar with the work of Stanley Kubrick will undoubtedly see the references to his famous film: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. That film was released in 1964, during the height of the Cold War, and Kubrick satirically and humorously portrayed the fear and paranoia of the time. Bartana's work regularly contains references to political and film history and in this film she offers a mirrored version of Kubrick's work in which not men, but women lead the discussion. In a peace room, instead of a war room full of hot-headed men. Topics such as war, geopolitics, security, global warming and inequality form an important thread in the discussion.
Since the film's release in 2021, the story has been given new context by the war in Ukraine — and a resurgence of the nuclear threat. The antagonist, President Twitler, could also be referring to Putin at this point. In any case, we live in a time in which more and more toxic men are filling positions of power: dominant, reactionary figures with autocratic, dictatorial and/or fascist — or at least extreme right — traits. The likes of Trump and Bolsonaro, who refuse to accept their democratic loss and urge their followers to storm government buildings. Is it time for a system reform? And who will take the first step? As a viewer you have enough to think about after seeing this film.
The film has previously screened at various film festivals, including CPH:DOX, docaviv and IDFA. In her work, Bartana delves deeper into themes such as displacement, nationalism, memory, trauma and (national) identity. Video and performance play an important role in her practice, which is characterised by poetry, symbolism and the addition of different layers. An interactive role is often reserved for the viewer. Her work has been exhibited at MoMA, Tate Modern and Centre Pompidou, among others, and in 2011 she represented Poland at the Venice Biennale.
