Art or life. Aesthetics and biopolitics. This year's international curators' project in 22 Viennese galleries explores the interconnections between work, economy, knowledge and politics.
curated by_vienna 2012 is a project to promote cooperation between leading galleries for
contemporary art in Vienna and internationally renowned curators. This year departure
has invited the well-known curator Eva Maria Stadler to develop the topic for curated
by_vienna 2012 in cooperation with the galleries involved. Under the title art or life.
aesthetics and biopolitics this year’s project explores the interconnections between work,
economy, knowledge and politics. The galleries that participate will develop special
exhibitions in cooperation with 25 curators to deal with this topic. curated by_vienna 2012
opens during the VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary and will run September 20 to
October 25, 2012, in 22 galleries in Vienna.
Bettina Leidl, managing director of departure, the creative agency of the City of Vienna,
considers the project a driving force for positioning Vienna as an international art location:
“Vienna is renowned as a location for galleries. curated by_vienna 2012 focuses on
networking with international curators and makes Vienna the meeting place of the
curatorial world for its duration. Beyond the scope of the project the newly established
contacts are to contribute to broadening relationships and initiating joint projects in the
future,” Leidl says.
curated by_vienna 2012 explores the question of how art approaches the interplay between
work and life and what role it plays in the process.
Fusing art and life was one of the great desires that fueled the avant-gardes of the
twentieth century. Technological and social revolutions were to engender a new life in all
its facets, preferably through the means of art. According to Eva Maria Stadler, numerous
biopolitical approaches put forth in recent years have undertaken a fresh exploration of the
interconnections between work, economy, knowledge and politics. Life no longer
represents a utopian ideal full of promise but is now something to be approached
constructively. After the promising utopias of the avant-garde, art or life provides the
opportunity to reflect one’s own conditions. This is the thematic cluster around which
curated by_vienna 2012 revolves.
At exhibitions held in 22 Viennese galleries, curators and artists are addressing various
issues, including the limitations inherent to representing individual situations or the
regulation and optimization of living conditions. Issues dealing with the techniques of
power, social control and repression are challenged, as are the economic conditions that
individuals not only encounter but also create for themselves.
A bilingual exhibition catalog (German/English) accompanying curated by_vienna 2012 is
published by Verlag für moderne Kunst Nürnberg, supported by the Austrian Federal
Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture (BMUKK), with a foreword by Bettina Leidl and
texts by Beatrice von Bismarck, Isolde Charim and Eva Maria Stadler. The catalog is edited
by the participating galleries.
Participating galleries, curators and artists
Christine König Galerie curated by Marius Babias: Thomas Kilpper (DE), Jimmie
Durham (US)
Galerie Meyer Kainer curated by Will Benedict: Anita Leisz (AT), Nora Schultz (DE)
Galerie Mezzanin curated by José Luis Blondet: Stephen Prina (US)
Gabriele Senn Galerie curated by Margrit Brehm: Georg Herold (DE), Bob and Roberta
Smith (GB)
Galerie Ernst Hilger curated by Claire Breukel: Waweru Peterson (KE), Simon Vega
(SV)
Galerie Andreas Huber curated by Adam Carr: Meriç Algün Ringborg (TR), Christian
Burnoski (US), Sean Edwards (UK), Ryan Gander (UK), Leopold Kessler (AT),
Jonathan Monk (UK), Alek O. (AR), Wilfredo Prieto (CU)
Krobath Wien curated by Karel Císař: Dominik Lang (CZ)
Galerie Emanuel Layr curated by Florence Derieux: Agnes Denes (US), Lili Reynaud
Dewar (FR), Clément Rodzielski (FR), Emily Wardill (UK)
Galerie Martin Janda curated by Thomas D. Trummer: Alina Szapocznikow (PL), Ryan
Gander (UK), Lara Favaretto (IT)
Kerstin Engholm Galerie curated by Christoph Doswald: Daniele Buetti (DE), Björn
Dahlem (DE), Hanspeter Hofmann (CH), Tanja Roscic (CH), Tatjana Trouvé (IT)
Galerie Krinzinger curated by Katya García-Antón: Ulrike Lienbacher (AT), Sudarshan
Shetty (IN)
Galerie Hubert Winter curated by Suzy M. Halajian, Marlies Wirth: Lawrence Weiner
(US)
Galerie Elisabeth & Klaus Thoman curated by Michael Scott Hall: Jürgen Klauke (DE)
Lukas Feichtner Galerie curated by David Harper, Martha Kirszenbaum: Paolo
Chiasera (IT), Aleksandra Domanović (SI), Timothy Hull (US), Iman Issa (EG),
Shahryar Nashat (IR), Ruby Sky Stiler US)
Mario Mauroner curated by Lóránd Hegyi: Jan Fabre (BE)
Galerie nächst St. Stephan curated by Agata Jastrzabek, Dirk Snauwaert: Ruth
Buchanan (NZ), Theo Cowley (UK), Simon Hempel (DE), Imi Knoebel (DE), Olga
Raciborska (PL), Joëlle Tuerlinckx (BE)
Projektraum Viktor Bucher curated by Niekolaas Johannes Lekkerkerk: Nina Beier
(DK) & Marie Lund (DK), David Raymond Conroy (UK), Ryan Gander (UK), Dora
Garcia (ES), David Sherry (IE), Pilvi Takala (FI)
Georg Kargl Fine Arts curated by Thomas Locher: Yael Bartana (IL), Gianfranco
Baruchello (IT), Clegg&Guttmann (Michael Clegg IE, Martin Guttmann IL), Peter Fend
(US), Matt Mullican (CA, US), Henrik Olesen (DK), Anna Oppermann (DE), Katya
Sander(DE), Dierk Schmidt (DE), Andreas Siekmann (DE), Stephen Willats (UK),
Costa Vece (CH)
Knoll Galerie Wien curated by Simina Neagu: Anca Benera & Arnold Estefan (RO),
Olga Chernyseva (RU), Berry Patten (UK), Antje Peters (DE)
Galerie Steinek curated by Julien Robson: Mel Chin (US)
Galerie Raum mit Licht curated by Alexander Streitberger: Aliki Braine (FR/GB),
Käthe Hager von Strobele (IT), John Hilliard (GB), Ernst Koslitsch (AT), Edgar Lissel
(DE), Michael Mastrototaro, MACHFELD (AT), Anna Mossman (GB), Gregor Neuerer
(AT), Klaus Pamminger (AT), Roman Pfeffer (AT)/Markus Hofer (AT), Rini Tandon
(IN/AT)
Charim Galerie Wien curated by Felicitas Thun-Hohenstein: Roberta Lima (BR)
curated by_vienna 2012 is funded by departure and organized in cooperation with the
22 participating galleries. departure, the creative agency of the City of Vienna, is the
funding organization and point of contact of the City of Vienna for the creative industries
including visual arts and art market. departure is a subsidiary company of the Vienna
Business Agency. Since the launch of the funding program 372 companies have received
funding in the amount of approx. 23 million euros, and some 1.621 highly qualified jobs
have been created or secured. In addition to its funding activities departure supports
network activities in order to achieve structural improvements within the individual
creative scenes and to strengthen Vienna’s position as a location for the creative industries.
curated by_vienna 2012 opens on September 20, 2012, 6 to 10 pm, coinciding with the
VIENNAFAIR The New Contemporary (September 20 to 23, 2012).
Educational program
Guided tours on request (office@departure.at) as well as Sat, September 29, 2012, 1 pm,
meeting point: Projektraum Victor Bucher, Praterstraße 13/1, 1020 Vienna, and
Sat, October 20, 2012, 1 pm, meeting point: Galerie Krinzinger, Seilerstätte 16,
1010 Vienna
Press tour
of the exhibitions of curated by_vienna 2012: art or life. aesthetics and biopolitics with
Eva Maria Stadler and Bettina Leidl
September 20, 2012, 10 am
Meeting point: Christine König Galerie, Schleifmühlgasse 1A, 1040 Vienna
Limited attendance, please register at sylvia.marz-wagner@skyunlimited.at
Image: David Sherry, Just Popped Out, 2012 (first performed in 2008). Performance
Press and PR
Michaela Reichel
T: +43 1 4000-87107
E: reichel@departure.at
SKYunlimited
Press curated by_vienna 2012
Sylvia Marz-Wagner
T: +43 1 5225939
M: +43 699 16448001
E: sylvia.marz-wagner@skyunlimited.at
Opening
Thursday, September 20, 2012, 6 to 10 pm
PERFORMANCE by DAVID SHERRY “Just popped out–back in two hours”, 7 pm, at
Projektraum Victor Bucher, Praterstraße 13/1, 1020 Vienna
Different venues - Wien
Opening hours: Tue to Fri 12 noon to 6 pm, Sat 11 am to 3 pm
Sat, September 22 and Sun, September 23, 2012, 11 am to 5 pm