"The veil of ignorance" is a key concept of the political philosopher John Rawls. It is based on the principle that, to ensure ultimate social and political justice, representatives of basic institutions and structures make their judgments as if they are behind a veil that conceals all personal characteristics and concepts, social and historical circumstances, to prevent biases while making decisions.

Despite often being considered idealistic, Rawls’ idea of justice was adopted as a cornerstone for social agreements in so-called developed Western democracies. The concept is best illustrated by the image of the ancient Greek goddess of justice, Themis (Femida).

However, even if it sounds perfect, to what extent could this idea be applied to practical conditions, in real life? To what extent can agents of a judicial system, state institutions, the public, and opposing political groups isolate themselves from their cultural-historical, socio-political, and psychological backgrounds?

The artwork consists of twelve photographs of people with different backgrounds wearing blindfolds reminiscent of the veil of Themis. Taking the pose inherent to the goddess of justice and slightly manipulating with an angle and perspective we observe how the perception of having agency, power, dedication, and determination could change.

Thanks to: Laurus Edelbacher, Günes Dogan, Nasrullah Azimi and Paulina Flores

This exhibition is a collaboration and part of the ‘QMA Artist Collective’ program, which is supported by MA7, BMKÖS, and Foto Leutner.