Austrian Cultural Forum NYC

EXHIBITION

THURSDAY MAY 27 - SUNDAY SEP 05
Austrian Cultural Forum New York

This exhibition, which dealt with forms of surveillance and control in today’s world, and examined the evolution of imagery and language in what has been described as our panoptic era, was on view from the End of May until September 5th, 2010 at the Austrian Cultural Forum New York.  Inspired by George Orwell’s novel of the same name, Nineteen Eighty-Four (written in 1948), the exhibition was named “Best in Show” by the Village Voice just two weeks after its opening: "With its stainless-steel partitions and Escher-esque staircases, the ACF building emanates a vaguely Cold War vibe of its own, enhancing the graphic punch" of some of the works on display, said R.C. Baker in his review. He also discovered "bursts of wit, flashes of aesthetic pleasure, and dollops of looniness" in the show.

Karen Rosenberg of the New York Times found the "Orwellian theme, relevant as it is today" to be "handled deftly here, with works that are as nuanced and versatile as they are on-message." And Lance Esplund of the Wall Street Journal previewed "the exhibition (being monitored by CCTV cameras) on the screen behind the [front] desk—which seemed oddly fitting for a show devoted to surveillance and paranoia." Yaelle Amir of ArtSlant found herself leaving the exhibition "with a feeling of unease, as we have just witnessed how little control we maintain in the public sphere, and just how fluid the boundaries between private and shared space have become."

The participating artists, all of whom live and work in Europe and the United States, questioned the effects of surveillance systems on people as subjects. On the other hand, they also explored the possibilities of the subversive usage of surveillance by the surveilled: the subjects - through a variety of media including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, video, and installation.

Four overlapping themes emerged. One addressed visuality and control, where forms of surveillance and anti-surveillance are inverted or exposed, revealing their inherent blind spots. Another approach dealt with surreality and the subconscious by linking together visual perceptions and touching on the occult and science fiction. A third angle was dedicated to architectural representations as both tools of power and control, as well as models for utopia through an investigation of urban environments. In a site-specific commissioned work, Austrian artist Judith Fegerl transformed the iconic building of the Austrian Cultural Forum into a living, monstrous machine using dozens of flashing LED’s. A final focus of the show investigated the alienation inherent in contemporary language, which is especially apparent in modern communication reliant on the use of new technology.

Artists: Cory ARCANGEL & Hanne MUGAAS (US/NO), Judith FEGERL (A), Nicolas GROSPIERRE & Kobas LAKSA (P), Dariusz KOWALSKI (A), Paul LAFFOLEY (US), Mark LOMBARDI (US), Rachel OWENS (US), Florian & Michaël QUISTREBERT (FR), Gerold TAGWERKER (A), Tris VONNA-MICHELL (UK), Clemens VON WEDEMEYER (D), Flora WATZAL (A), Jordan WOLFSON (US)

Concept and produced by Andreas Stadler

Curators David Harper, Martha Kirszenbaum (New York) and David Komary (Austria)

Detailed information on the exhibition, press images of the works and the curators' statement is available on the NineteenEightyFour press page.