translated and summarized by: Liz Wollner-Grandville,
030613: Secession, Freiaum/quartier 21, xhibit Unrest of form – Imagining the political subject
Secession, Freiaum/quartier 21, xhibit
Unrest of form – Imagining the political subject
11.05.2013 – 16.06.2013
At the wrong moment
By Nina Schedlmayer
Art is there for everyone, but only the elite knows – the press release on the exhibition of the Vienna Festival titled “Unrest of Form – Imagining the Political Subject” quotes artist Dora García. And the quote describes the dilemma of the show quite well. In this case one could surmise that the elite consists of the five-member team of curators (Karl Baratta, Stefanie Carp, Matthias Pees, Hedwig Saxenhuber, Georg Schöllhammber) and possibly a few more. Those who are not insiders will have a hard time understanding the positions displayed here that might go beyond two relatively obvious observations – first, politics are sometimes, in the broadest sense, an art topic, and second: art at times works in a cross-disciplinary manner.
This project is distributed across three areas and attempts to bring theatre, performance, fine arts, poetry and maybe even more together. But the feeling constantly creeps up that one is here at the wrong moment. Entering the black box in the second third of a one-hour film is something everyone has gotten used to. But here you arrive too early even for this lecture, and too late for this performance; and somebody is sitting in a glass shack interviewing a colleague and one doesn’t really know why.
Certainly, even in this permanent stage of transition one can make discoveries: such as the painting by Hassan Khan depicting a detailed oversized damaged floral still life – obviously amateur work. Or the video installation by Chris Kondek, showing bankers gathering in a kind of séance. And of course the totem-like assembled sculptures by sculptor Heinz Frank.
“The space that this course attempts to open is one of aesthetic action that reveals itself in acts of subjectification and taking the floor and disturbing predetermined identities, placements and visualisations”, the accompanying publication states. Yet spaces only open up with difficulty here. What remains is the realization that theatre cannot easily be transferred into an art institution.
Secession
1010 Vienna, Friedrichstrasse 12
Tel: +43 1 587 53 07
Fax: +43 1 587 53 07-34
http://www.secession.at
Opening hours: Tue - Sat 10-18 hours, Sun 10-16 hours
Freiraum / quartier21
1070 Vienna, Museumsplatz 1
Tel: +43 1 587 53 07
Fax: +43 1 587 53 07-34
http://www.quartier21.at
Opening hours: Tue - Sat 13-19 hours
xhibit
1010 Vienna, Schillerplatz 3
Tel: +43 1 587 53 07
Fax: +43 1 587 53 07-34
http://www.akbild.ac.at
Opening hours: Tue - Sun 10-18 hours
030613
Secession
1010 Wien, Friedrichstrasse 12
Tel: +43 1 587 53 07, Fax: +43 1 587 53 07-34
Email: office@secession.at
http://www.secession.at
Öffnungszeiten: Di-So 14-18 h
MQ Freiraum
1070 Wien, Museumsplatz 1
https://www.mqw.at/mqfreiraum
Öffnungszeiten: Di-So 10-18 h
xhibit
1010 Wien, Schillerplatz 3
http://www.akbild.ac.at
Öffnungszeiten: Di-So 10-18 h
Secession
1010 Wien, Friedrichstrasse 12
Tel: +43 1 587 53 07, Fax: +43 1 587 53 07-34
Email: office@secession.at
http://www.secession.at
Öffnungszeiten: Di-So 14-18 h
MQ Freiraum
1070 Wien, Museumsplatz 1
https://www.mqw.at/mqfreiraum
Öffnungszeiten: Di-So 10-18 h
xhibit
1010 Wien, Schillerplatz 3
http://www.akbild.ac.at
Öffnungszeiten: Di-So 10-18 h