The fire emoji is one of the most commonly used pictograms worldwide in social media and electronic communication. Berlin-based artist Aram Bartholl (born 1972) brings this universally familiar symbol from the digital world into physical space with a massively enlarged yellow-red flame, thereby stripping the symbol of the logic it naturally carries in network communication.

The title references a well-known cartoon meme in which a dog convinces itself that everything is fine despite being surrounded by blazing flames. The installation, erected as part of the urban cultural festival “Mauerblümchen” on Klarissenplatz in front of the Neues Museum, not only serves as a glowing photo backdrop but also alludes to the various crisis themes we currently face: The world is on fire.

A collaboration between the Neues Museum and the project office in the cultural department of the city of Nuremberg as part of the “Mauerblümchen” cultural festival from September 8 to 17, 2023. The festival is supported by financial resources from the Bavarian urban development program and the Special Fund: Revitalize Inner Cities.

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