9/7/2014
Carsten Holler
Two venues, Wien
Leben. The exhibition pivots around a selection of works-some drawn from TBA21's collection of contemporary art and others commissioned and conceived especially for the exhibition-that invite specific forms of interaction, induce moods and affects, and generate 'oriented' behaviors. One of the treasures of the TBA21 collection by Holler, entitled Y, is installed in the spectacular Marble Hall of the Upper Belvedere.
Curated by Daniela Zyman
Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary (TBA21-Augarten) and the Belvedere, Vienna, are
proud to announce their first ever collaboration presenting LEBEN, an exhibition of the work
of the Belgian-German artist Carsten Höller. LEBEN pivots around a selection of works—
some drawn from TBA21’s collection of contemporary art and others commissioned and
conceived especially for the exhibition—that invite specific forms of interaction, induce moods
and affects, and generate “oriented” behaviors. One of the treasures of the TBA21 collection
by Höller, entitled Y, is installed in the spectacular Marble Hall of the Upper Belvedere. This
amusement fair-like tunnel spins around the visitor like a vortex. Y-shaped, it articulates
the dilemma of individual choice as a question of contingency, with which visitors can also
decide, or not, to continue their tour of the exhibition at TBA21–Augarten. There, they
encounter an ensemble of familiar devices, tools, constructions, and objects that have the
unusual capacity to orient, model, and intercept, creating both a physical and conceptual
space of experimentation. Surreal giant hybrid mushrooms, a functional flotation tank that
enables corporeal stasis, a clock giving the time only at selected intervals, dream-enhancing
toothpastes, and a bed that can be elevated to up to 3.5 meters in the air, lead the exhibitionvisitors through a transforming experience that is about unlearning, dreaming, drifting, and
dancing. In cooperation with Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom, the Elevator Bed can be booked
overnight and offers guests a unique and solitary overnight experience in the foundation’s
exhibition grounds in Vienna’s Augarten Park.
“With the exhibition LEBEN, TBA21–Augarten and the surrounding natural setting turn into a
place for experimentation with life itself, with the essentials of singular life, as well as a field of
collective action and shared responsibility. The exhibits are conceived as a form of laboratory
equipment, as unsaturated artworks, which become complete and understood when activated
and engaged with by exhibition visitors. Consequently, they enable new and hinterlogical
experiences of the activities of life itself.”—Baldo Hauser
"I have been fascinated for a very long time by the way Carsten Höller’s quasi-scientific
work makes me explore my own consciousness and my relationship to art. He transports
his investigations of our psyche into our daily reality, and he questions how we feel about
ourselves in a way that is both challenging and playful. This exhibition takes us through Carsten's
experimental work, while turning the galleries into a personal living experience. After the folly
of having Ragnar Kjartansson's epic film experiment take over the Augarten studio space, we
will find ourselves in the tranquility and solace of Carsten's experimental solitude. I can’t wait to
explore all the sensory experiences he provokes”—Francesca von Habsburg
Works in the exhibition
Elevator Bed (2010), the central element within the exhibition space, is as much a proposition
as it is an installation. It can be booked on a nightly basis by prospective guests through
Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom. The bed is mounted on a turning platform, which can be
raised to different heights, up to a maximum of 3.5 meters, and allows guests to spend the
night perched high above the other works in exhibition hall. Before going to sleep, guests
are instructed to brush their teeth with Insensatus Vol. 1 Fig. 1; a dream-inducing series of
toothpastes exclusively prepared by the Saint Charles pharmacy in Vienna, based on an
original recipe devised by Höller and the perfumer Ben Gorham.
The water in High Psycho Tank contains a high concentration of Epsom salts. Visitors can
undress–nudity is mandatory–and immerse themselves in the floatation tank to experience
2a sense of weightlessness and sensory equilibrium. The exhibition is accompanied and
structured by Half Clock, a newly created work that functions as both a utilitarian time display
and a seemingly illogical conundrum, with its apparent ability to alternately speed up or slow
down the passage of time. High above the heads of viewers, two pairs of trained bullfinches
housed within a set of balanced aviaries form the Bullfinch Scale and whistle the song Longing
for Lullabies by Swedish singer Tiitiyo, that becomes part of the of the exhibition.
The newly created film installation Fara Fara shows auditions and rehearsals for a musical
clash between two stars of the vibrant Congolese music scene. The work introduces themes
of duality and juxtaposition. Similar themes of duplication and division are prominent in
Höller’s Vienna Twins. Here, two identical siblings lead a completely logical, and at the same
time confusing, conversation with a rhythmic and repetitive structure.
Outside, on the Augarten grounds, a moment of visual dissection is captured sculpturally
in the Giant Multiple Mushrooms. The two oversized fungi, one mature and the other still
developing, are composed of four split mushroom bodies and constitute a surreal moment
of hybridity.
A special installation of the iconic work Y (2003); a split passageway encircled by a seemingly
infinite halo of white light bulbs, is presented in the Upper Belvedere. Remaining stationary,
the structure appears to be spinning in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, depending
on the direction of the light sequence, and draws viewers into it. Höller created this work
in 2003 for Dreams and Conflicts. Delays and Revolution shown in the Italian Pavilion at the
Venice Bienniale.
Carsten Höller
Carsten Höller has had a highly unusual career. Originally a student of agricultural science, he
excelled in phytopathology, writing a graduate thesis examining olfactory communication in insects.
While pursuing this scientific work, he began his artistic career by implementing his scientific
experiments through aesthetic undertakings and creative projects. The year 1993 marked his
inaugural participation in the Venice Bienniale, and in 2005, he represented Sweden (along with
Miriam Bäckström). Other key exhibitions include Expo 2000 in Hannover (with Rosemarie Trockel),
the slide installation Test Site at Tate Modern in London in 2006, the presentation of Revolving Hotel
Room at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2010, the installation SOMA at Hamburger
Bahnhof in Berlin in the same year, and Experience at the New Museum in New York in 2011.
Carsten Höller lives and works in Sweden and Ghana.
About TBA21
Founded in Vienna in 2002 by Francesca von Habsburg, Thyssen-Bornemisza Art
Contemporary (TBA21) represents the fourth generation of the Thyssen family’s commitment
to the arts. The foundation is dedicated primarily to the commissioning and dissemination of
ambitious, experimental, and unconventional projects that transcend traditional disciplinary
boundaries. This approach has gained the collection a pioneering reputation throughout the
world. The foundation’s projects promote artistic practices that are architectural, context-
and site-specific, performative, and often informed by an interest in social aesthetics and
environmental concerns. Many of the projects reflect the shift to transdisciplinary practices
embracing architecture, sound, music, and science. The cross-pollination of disciplines
challenges interpretation and the traditions of collecting, preserving, and presenting works of
art. This approach reflects the vision of Francesca von Habsburg.
In addition, TBA21 shares its collection and commissions with numerous museums and public
institutions. Most commissions initiated and produced by the foundation form an integral part
of major contemporary art exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale, the Istanbul Biennial,
and documenta, where new works are very much on the agenda. In past years, crossover
performative projects were realized through a number of collaborations, notably with the
Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, Artangel in London, and the Wiener Festwochen.
Since May 2012 Vienna’s Augartenpark has been transformed into a revitalized center for
the arts under the aegis of Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary. TBA21–Augarten marks
the inception of a four-year collaborative relationship with the Belvedere and presents
artists’ individual stances and artistic dialogues through works drawn from the foundation’s
collection. TBA21’s complementary live-arts program is presented on David Adjaye’s openair stage, which hosts a lively series of spoken-word performances, concerts, and related
activities, along with the new café/restaurant Die AU and a bookshop stocked with selected
publications. The aim of TBA21–Augarten is to fill its project space with complex and critical
programming, as well as to breathe new life into the Augarten as a social and cultural meeting
place. Since June 2013 admission to the exhibition venue has been free.
TBA21 is pleased to cooperate with Fundación Botín for the exhibition LEBEN. Through this
unique collaboration, High Psycho Tank was initiated and produced.
Image: Carsten Höller, Y, 2003. Photo: Photo: Jen Fong Photography / TBA21 © Carsten Höller / Bildrecht Wien 2014
Press
Karim Crippa
Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary
T +43 01 513 98 56 18
press@tba21.org
Gudrun Landl
Bureau N
+49 306 273 61 04
gudrun.landl@bureau-n.de
Opening
Thursday, July 10, 2014, 7pm, TBA21–Augarten
Thursday, July 10, 2014, 6–8pm, Upper Beldevere, Vienna
TBA21–Augarten
Scherzergasse 1a, 1020 Vienna, Austria
July 10–November 23, 2014
Wednesday–Thursday, 12–5pm; Friday–Sunday, 12–7pm
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
Free admission
www.tba21.org
Upper Belvedere
Prinz-Eugen-Straße 27, 1030 Vienna, Austria
July 10–August 31, 2014
Monday–Sunday, 10am–6pm
www.belvedere.at