Dan Allon
Contemporary Art
Bad Research: Tahini is Thicker Than Blood / two-person exhibition by Dan Allon and Ari-Pekka Leinonen, La Juan Gallery, Madrid, Spain (2017)
This multidisciplinary performance by Allon (Israel) and Leinonen (Finland) blends humor, fiction, and political reflection. Over three days, the duo creates an evolving narrative influenced by current world events, exploring power, privilege, and the role of humor in tragic contexts.
Friday, “The Birth of Tahini”: the artists perform as fictional terrorists, recruiting spectators into a mock terror group, culminating in a gallery party with Hebrew and Finnish music, food, and balloons. Saturday, “We Don’t Want More People!” transforms the top floor into an exhibition space while the duo prepares texts and letters. Sunday, “A Funeral: We Admit Nothing!” sees returning participants witness the duo as both terrorists and investigators, reading the texts and performing dramatic interventions, revealing unexpected twists and subverting audience expectations.
Curator: Matias Daporta, Juan Gomez Alaman
During the first performance, the spectators were interrogated one by one, and were obliged to sign a contract. The contracts were finger printed with tahini. Afterwards, they were photographed as a proof of their recruitment to the tahini terror group.
QUESTIONNAIRE
Why do you want to join us / por qué quieres ser parte de nosotros?
What is failure? / Que es fracasar para ti?
What is your motivation to join us / Cuales son tus motivos para unirte a nosotros?
Can you give us names / Puedes darnos tus nombres?
What is your fake identity / Cual es tu falsa identidad?
If you were we, what would you do with a terrorist like you / Si tu fueses yo que harías con un terrorista como tu?
What is you method of terror / Cual es tu método de terror?
What do you find funny /Encuentras esto divertido?
How do you give birth to Tahini / Como llamarías al tallin?
Are you ready to accept this bond / Estas preparado para aceptar este reto?
CONTRATO
Yo,
Nombre falso: ___________________________
Nacimiento: ___________________________
Quiero fracasar con vosotros!
Firma: _____________________________
Ciudad:_________________________________
Fecha _________________________________