FÜNF RÄUME
MAY 24 - SEP 5, 2011
Fünf Räume presented new, site-specific works by emerging Austrian artists, each transforming one of five distinct gallery spaces in the Austrian Cultural Forum New York. All participants, despite their success and renown in Europe and elsewhere, have for the most part not yet been shown in the United States. Thus, Fünf Räume (German for 'Five Rooms') allowed viewers to experience something unique and original while at the same time providing a glimpse into each artist's pluridisciplinary practice, primarily within painting, sculpture and installation.
Starting, as it were, at square one, the artists' installations related strongly to their previous bodies of work, exploring space, site-specificity and the third dimension. Additionally, the installations presented the intricate architecture of the Austrian Cultural Forum New York's gallery space from a fresh perspective and thus allowed viewers to experience it in a new light.
Each artist brought something radically different to the table - be it subject matter or their use of material - resulting in a visual representation of the dialogue and zeitgeist surrounding contemporary art-making in Austria. At first glance, the artists appeared to employ the visual language of Minimalism. However, upon further investigation, each piece reveals itself to exist within the historical rubric of Austrian artistic practice, touching on many of its universal themes, including an engagement with technology, politics, and spirituality. Jailee Rychen, of the NY Gallery Art Examiner, found the results to be "a dazzling display of how space can be altered in a most unassuming yet powerful way."
ARTISTS: Daniel DOMIG, Clemens HOLLERER, Zenita KOMAD & Michael KIENZER, Valentin RUHRY, and Esther STOCKER
Curators: David Harper and Andreas Stadler
Curatorial Assistant: Eva Stockinger
Exhibition Coordination: Natascha Boojar
Exhibition Assistance: Georg Bauer, Martin Fürsatz, Pia Ionesco-Liehn, Birgit Stidl, Maria-Theresia Svejda
Supporting Institutions of the Austrian Cultural Forum New York: Austrian Airlines, RB International Finance (USA) LLC, Zumtobel
