Julius von Bismarck
Polizei | Omoh
2015

A group of uniformed police officers stand in a compact group in the exhibition space. Their individual bodies move almost imperceptibly. One adjusts his shoulder; another makes a slight body movement; and others seem to shift their weight from one leg to another. The movements of the individuals at first seem natural, and the viewer believes to be watching a group of uniformed individuals who are trying to stand still for as long as possible. The group has been positioned so that the visitor must pass by the group closely to reach the rest of the exhibition. Either at this point, or after an extended period of observation, viewers notice that the movements of the police officers repeat and that not all of the figures are human. Presented for the first time at Winzavod Center for Contemporary Art, Moscow, sixteen animated figures and a number of real people were dressed in the uniforms of the OMOH, a special police unit. When the work was exhibited at KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin, the figures were outfitted with the uniforms and gear of the German riot police – POLIZEI.