EXAMPLES OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ARTISTS AND INSTITUTIONS AS WELL AS ARTISTS AND SOCIETY
DECEMBER 9, 2008 - MARCH 28, 2009
THE ARTIST AS TROUBLEMAKER
EXAMPLES OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ARTISTS AND INSTITUTIONS AS WELL AS ARTISTS AND SOCIETY
DECEMBER 9, 2008 - MARCH 28, 2009
The role of artists in society is multifaceted. Again and again, they are called upon to question the general consensus. In this context, the institution of the museum has always been a focal point and laboratory for investigation. The objective of this exhibition is to illustrate examples where artistic provocation and creativity meet with institutional practice. On various levels, it becomes clear that in the institutional arena, the contributions of artistic work is similarly influential as scientific, museological, and cultural policy efforts. Artists represent the actual critical potential; they are the troublemakers who always want to rethink and reorganize interactions and who "interfere" with the existing structure.
The scope of this "interference" is large and is presented on the basis of museum work. For instance, it is always the task of a collection focusing on present-day art to document the position of the artist relative to society and base the collection on this relationship. A spectacular example is the Neue Galerie des Landsmuseums Joanneum with its collection concentrating on Günther Brus. In the 1960s, this Actionist's work was the quintessence of defiance in a politically backward country like Austria. The holdings of the Neue Galerie, which as of 2011 will highlight Brus's oeuvre under the heading "Bruseum," makes it possible to exemplify the artist's interaction with society. Artists of the younger generation are becoming involved in more varied contexts and beginning to explore a wider variety of issues: politico-cultural (Martin Kippenberger, Dorit Margreiter), historico-cultural (Sophie Thorsten), and academic (Olafur Eliasson, Diana Thater). Artists are acting in the spirit of a new universality and challenging society to think more holistically and critically. As an institution, the museum is returning to its origins as a form of resistance and as a corrective measure for an increasingly complex society. Parallel to the exhibition, which will highlight exemplary projects, a symposium of European and American theorists and artists will examine various strategies in this context.
Curated by Peter Pakesch, Museum Joanneum
Venue Austrian Cultural Forum New York
