translated and summarized by: Liz Wollner-Grandville,
121009: Audio and visual Kaleidoscope
Camera Austria: Artur Zmijewski – “Democracies” and other works
Audio and visual Kaleidoscope
Artur Zmijewski’s current series of videos titled “Democracies” (2007 – 09) comprises 20 videos showing numerous, and very diverse, topics such as protests in the occupied territories of the West Bank, political activists in Poland, marches commemorating the Labour Day in Germany, fans watching the live-broadcast of the football match Germany vs. Turkey, as well as Jörg Haider’s funeral ceremonies in Vienna and Klagenfurt. Thanks to technology, the videos can be viewed on flatscreen monitors, which are elegantly mounted alongside the walls of the show room conveying the atmosphere of a picture gallery.
The sound of the installation forms another, completely independent level. The noises of the videos merge to an entirety and the individual videos evolve into one piece of work, which – polyphone or cacophonous, depending on one’s perception - reflects the sound of the street. This is where the contrast to the second work, “Selected Works” (2006/07), becomes obvious, which is dominated by complete silence. The title itself is a play with the actual meaning of the words and the content of the video. It shows a variety of 24-hour portraits of workers, presenting a selection of the artist’s work, but simultaneously a selection of work, which is being accomplished by human beings on this planet.
The excitement of this “autumn”-compliant exhibition is found in the commonality of the artistic approach and the contrariness of sound in both works.
By Nora Theiss
Camera Austria
8020 Graz, Kunsthaus Graz, Lendkai 1, until 17.01.10
www.camera-austria.at
121009
Camera Austria
8020 Graz, Kunsthaus Graz, Lendkai 1
Tel: +43(0) 316/ 81 555 00, Fax: +43(0) 316/ 81 555 09
Email: office@camera-austria.at
http://www.camera-austria.at
Öffnungszeiten: Di-Sa 10-17 h
Camera Austria
8020 Graz, Kunsthaus Graz, Lendkai 1
Tel: +43(0) 316/ 81 555 00, Fax: +43(0) 316/ 81 555 09
Email: office@camera-austria.at
http://www.camera-austria.at
Öffnungszeiten: Di-Sa 10-17 h