We live in a society that is risk averse, that puts people in boxes. It seems we are supposed to stay in the box that was assigned to us and not reach out to each other – certainly not challenge each other, because that would be really uncomfortable. Identity politics arose out of a desire to connect, but if identity politics is the only prism through which we view the world, then all we will have is tunnel vision.

The Cake is a Lie was the main exhibition of the IMPAKT Festival 2024: DEAL WITH IT. From 30 October 2024 until 12 January 2025, the exhibition offered glimpses into the playful and original thinking that artists use – in sometimes annoying, confusing, or confronting ways – to focus on the political, ecological, and technological conditions that define our world. We selected the artists for this festival not just for their critique of Big Tech or hyper-capitalist appropriation and extraction, but first and foremost for their sense of engagement with the world around them, for their radical approaches, and for the ambiguity they allow themselves.

In The Cake is a Lie, artists responded to major issues using their individuality and their original voice to claim a free space for art in society. With this exhibition, we made a stand for artists who dare to manifest their social and political commitment in multi-layered or even civilly disobedient ways. The Cake is a Lie presented raw, uncensored perspectives of a world on fire.

CURATORS
The Cake is a Lie was curated by Ine Gevers (Niet Normaal, Come Alive, Fake Me Hard, Robot Love, Hacking Habitat) and Arjon Dunnewind (IMPAKT).

Images by Pieter Kers