2024-04-16
The new film by Swedish director Ruben Östlund, author of "Force Majeure", is a bitter yet humorous attempt to diagnose the state of contemporary art (and the art market), its relationship with new technologies and social needs.
Today, museums and galleries operate like businesses, which necessitates new methods of promotion. To advertise his institution, curator Christian exhibits minimalist work that deals with empathy. "The Square" is an inconspicuous work in the form of a square drawn on the square in front of the museum's main entrance - anyone who crosses its borders should be kind and helpful. This utopian place is promoted using social media - to catch the attention of the contemporary viewer, digital marketing specialists propose a shocking campaign... At the same time, we observe Christian in his private life, within which he certainly applies principles different from those promoted by the art he exhibits.
This biting satire on the world of curators, artists, marketing professionals and contemporary society reveals the tragic gap between the ideal field of art and human weakness, selfishness, hypocrisy and double standards. "The Square" is nominated in the "Best Foreign Language Film" category along with productions from Russia, Chile, Hungary and Lebanon.