Jordan Strafer—Dissonance

›Dissonance‹ marks the first institutional solo exhibition of Jordan Strafer in Germany. Based on her ongoing film trilogy ›Loophole‹ (since 2023), Strafer transforms the exhibition space at Fluentum into a surreal talk show studio situated in the afterlife. This studio will serve as the set for a newly commissioned work that connects the trilogy’s narrative to the postwar period. Embedded in the ›Loophole‹ universe yet conceived as a standalone work, the film will be partially shot during the exhibition opening, in front of a live audience, and features New York-based actor Jim Fletcher in the lead role.

Set against the backdrop of a fictionalized high-profile rape trial in 1990s Florida, ›Loophole‹ draws on the visual language of erotic thrillers and the spectacle of televised courtroom proceedings. Strafer weaves together film scripts, local news coverage, reality TV, and publicly available courtroom records. By blending historical and popular material from the aftermath of World War II to the turn of the millennium, ›Loophole‹ unfolds as a trans-historical exploration of justice, media culture, and the shaping of public perception.

In ›Dissonance‹ the trilogy’s first two chapters ›Loophole‹ (2023) and ›Decadence‹ (2024) will be presented for the first time as a continuous film, expanded through sculptural and architectural interventions. A site-specific installation resembling a 1990s talk show set, along with the accompanying public program, links the narrative of the films and the postwar history of Fluentum, a repurposed NS military complex that served as the headquarters of the U.S. Army im Central Europe from 1945—1994. This layering of historical contexts anticipates the third and final chapter of ›Loophole‹, currently in development and also to be produced by Fluentum.