Harun Farocki: VIDEOGRAMME EINER REVOLUTION (2026)

Index presents (again, twenty years later) the first Swedish solo exhibition featuring the German film-maker Harun Farocki, whose work has been an important reference for other filmmakers and artists as well as for media theorists since the 1960s. His analytical use of film was unique, both with regards to the quantity of films he made, and the influence he has had on the contemporary discussion of image as language and tool for political structures. The main focus of the exhibition is Videogramme einer Revolution from 1992. The film, made in collaboration with screenwriter and director Andrei Ujică, deals with the role of the media during the revolution of December 1989, which, after several days, ended with the fall and death of the Romanian dictator Ceausescu.

After Harun Farocki had his exhibition at Index, curated by Helena Holmberg, he left his films at the institution with the intention of sharing them. The exhibition in 2026 marks an important moment for observing the role of art and film in relation to social constructions and political readings. Bringing the exhibition back in time is a challenging process that raises many questions regarding what an exhibition is, and what its time and context might be. The exhibition can be—more or less—the same, but the context is definitively different. Twenty years later, the role of the visual image and its velocity have transformed society, yet the impact of the subjective gaze remains significant.

Re-doing Farocki’s exhibition allows us to reflect critically on time, memory, and our responsibilities toward both the past and the present. The exhibition invites visitors to be in an exhibition today while also being in the same exhibition twenty years ago. Is what we see now a “now,” or is it a document from another era? The relevance of Farocki’s work, connecting to many societal realities of our present time opens of duality in time. But how do we present the idea of double time? How do we understand video and film today while assuming that the work responded to a specific moment? How do we preserve the sense of past time when the exhibition is in dialogue with today as well? During the reconstruction of this exhibition, many details have revealed its significance.

A parallel program of events connected with the exhibition take place at Index. Read more about the program here.

Read the handout for 2026 exhibition here. The handout for the 2006 exhibition is available here.

Index would like to thank Harun Farocki Institut for their collaboration with the exhibition.