translated and summarized by: Liz Wollner-Grandville,
250814: TBA 21 Augarten: Carsten Höller – Leben
TBA 21 Augarten
Carsten Höller – Leben
11.07.2014 – 23. 11. 2014
An experience that simply isn’t
By Nina Schedlmayer
The German-Belgian artist, Carsten Höller, likes to see his audience move: in 2006, visitors enjoyed sliding down a huge slide in the Tate Gallery and - in contrast - in the Kunsthaus Bregenz, visitors took a ride on an extremely slow carousel.
In the TBA21 and in the Belvedere, Höller currently invites his audience to take part in cheerful interaction. While tourists are wondering what purpose the light bulb-hallway serves (it was already on display several times in Austria), they can let themselves drift in saltwater. In the former venue of the Augarten studio, one can spend a night in Höllers elevator bed - for 390 to 490 euros; before falling asleep one should use the apparently dream inducing toothpaste - resulting in “male”, “female” or “childlike” dreams. Furthermore, there are two pairs of chirping bullfinches trying to learn a melody by listening to a recording; a sculpture, indicating the time in a complicated manner, and films that attempt to “prompt specific forms of attention and interaction resulting in a conceptual scope of logical interactions”, and, naturally, “confusion”.
With the exception of a dual projection showing two Congolese musicians competing against each other – an exciting as well as buoyant documentation – one mainly gets the notion of boredom. Somehow this kind of participation that targets a kind of experience, which is not really one, seems to be somewhat passé.
TBA21 Augarten
1020 Vienna, Scherzergasse 1A
Tel: +43 1 513 98 56 – 24
email: exhibitions@TBA21.org
http://www.TBA21.org
Opening hours: Thu - Sun 12 - 19 hours
250814
TBA21 Augarten
1020 Wien, Scherzergasse 1A
Tel: +43 1 513 98 56 – 24
Email: exhibitions@TBA21.org
http://www.TBA21.org
Öffnungszeiten: Di-So 12 - 19 h
TBA21 Augarten
1020 Wien, Scherzergasse 1A
Tel: +43 1 513 98 56 – 24
Email: exhibitions@TBA21.org
http://www.TBA21.org
Öffnungszeiten: Di-So 12 - 19 h