Re:MODERN

Das Künstlerhaus zeigt Arbeiten zeitgenössischer KünstlerInnen, die sich dezidiert auf bestimmte Werke, Stile oder avantgardistische Tendenzen der klassischen Moderne berufen. Die Sparten Bildende Kunst, Film, Fotografie und neue Medien werden dabei gleichwertig berücksichtigt. Das Projekt wird in Kooperation mit dem Wiener Filmmuseum umgesetzt. Kuratoren: Norbert Pfaffenbichler, Sandro Droschl Ausstellungsgestaltung: Michael Ripper, Designkollektiv MVD

--

The contemporary artworks presented in this show refer to certain works, styles, and personalities of the modern era. The fascination which the Œincomplete project of modernism¹ (Jürgen Habermas) exercises on contemporary artists cannot be denied, regardless of the degree to which the resulting works and their underlying concepts differ. The goal of this project is to offer, for the first time, a look at the various strategies of reception and adaptation of modernism in contemporary art. Exhibiting these works in a group exhibition reveals what unites them formally and conceptually and elucidates their differences.

Dealing with modernism, contemporary artists employ methods which range from formal analysis to contextual transformations and ironic proposals of correction. The various resemblances, citations, paraphrases, etc. pick out the basic changes which the Œoperation system art¹ has undergone in the course of the last hundred years as a central theme. Contrary to the avant-garde movements of the early twentieth century foremost oriented towards an imaginary ideal future, contemporary art is, in the pure sense of the word, Œpresent-time¹. Types of work such as Œsite-specific installations¹ or Œtemporary interventions¹ exclusively produced for the respective occasion are the logical and practical consequence of this approach.

The great interest of artists in modern architecture and design stands out particularly. There exists a canon of forms in this field which is clearly classified as Œmodern¹ such as the constructional and repetitive application of geometric basic forms or the use of specific materials like concrete, steel, plastic, and glass. Apart from the rediscovery of the aesthetic qualities of concrete buildings, the discrepancy between comprehensive social utopian designs and the real existing modernity and its consequences can most strikingly be exemplified by means of built manifestations. Formal-aesthetical innovations of the classical modern era such as abstraction or techniques of collage are currently not updated for their own purpose but function as art-historian references. By means of digital media, the image-inventions of the modern era are experimentally tried and tested anew. The artists create complex reference systems in order to critically question both form and function of artistic production and presentation.

Re: MODERN
Zur Renaissance der ästhetischen Moderne in der Gegenwartskunst
Kuratoren: Norbert Pfaffenbichler, Sandro Droschl

Künstler: Art & Language, Yuri Avvakumov, Mladen Bizumic, Oliver Boberg, Hannes Böck, Monica Bonvicini, Vuk Cosic, Josef Dabernig, Gregor Eldarb, Andreas Fogarasi, Esther Hiepler, Daniel Robert Hunziker, Irwin , Doris Krüger & Walter Pardeller, Marko Lulic, Lev Manovich, Dietmar Offenhuber, Florian Pumhösl, restmodern.de, Silke Riechert, Lotte Schreiber (Pfaffenbichler / Schreiber), Peter Sommerauer, Heidi Specker, Gerold Tagwerker, Claudia Wissmann, Florian Wüst, Heimo Zobernig ...