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Courage >< Caution
Opening: 22.01.2025
Duration: 23.01.–01.03.2025
Opening hours:
Mi–Fr 15:00–19:00
Sa 11:00–16:00AG18
AG18 Gallery:
Annagasse 18, 1010 Vienna
Artists:
Bianca Ion
Nikola Milojcevic
Zula Tuvshinbat
Curation:
Laura Birschitzky
Julia Harrauer
Courage >< Caution
Text by Laura Birschitzky & Julia Harrauer
What becomes of a society that dismisses risking something besides a heroic, successful outcome as merely an act of madness? What does it mean to “take a risk,” and to what extent is there a societal and individual necessity to break free from entrenched structures concerning our willingness to take risks? Drawing from the theories of philosopher and psychoanalyst Anne Dufourmantelle, the exhibition “Courage >< Caution” explores the ambivalences of risk and its significance for human action and thought.
“It is a combat with an adversary whom we never identify, a desire that we would never know, a love whose face we would never see, a pure event.” p. 1–2
Risk, as both a source of personal growth and a potential danger, is a defining aspect of our lives. It can ignite an internal struggle and is the root of both courage and caution, which shape our responses to the question of risk-taking. They are interdependent, as we cannot be courageous without knowing caution, and we are cautious only because we understand recklessness – having once dared too much.
“The ordeal is in this balance conquered above the void: at every moment, it could be lost.” p. 13
Risk Between Stigma and Glorification
In her book “In Praise of Risk” (2011), Dufourmantelle examines all facets of life through the lens of risk-taking and its potential: life, passion, love, heroism, responsibility, grief, laughter, solitude, fidelity, faith, secrets, revolution, and more.
“We believe that our fears hold us back; we believe we don’t have enough strength to confront them, because this would be to know them, but also to love them, even to grow attached to them. Our fears present the face of our future amazement, the beginning of all creation.” p. 41
In the context of the “security society” dominant in the Global North, the pursuit of supposed “zero risk” has become a cultural imperative, according to Dufourmantelle. From an early age on, we are taught to eliminate danger from our personal and professional lives, with safety, predictability, and control heralded as solutions. We buy insurance – without really knowing what it covers – simply out of habitual behavior. Warning labels are attached to every imaginable object, often stating the obvious, yet they fade into the background amid the cacophony of caution. We are warned about the heat of our coffee cup – a precaution and legal safeguard for corporations – yet how often do we still burn our tongues? The fire alarm at work fails so often that we no longer worry when it goes off again. The result of a “zero-risk society” is a dulling of our sensitivity to warnings and signals, leading us to risk relinquishing personal responsibility, assuming someone else will take care of it.
“Life is a heedless risk taken by us, the living.” p. 1
The Paradox of Heroism
At the same time, however, pop-cultural narratives – from rom-coms to action films – glorify true heroism, celebrating risk-taking as a heroic act only when it leads to success. In these stories, heroes are initially mocked or underestimated. Even if they risk their lives, it is first dismissed as madness. Only once they succeed are they transformed into courageous visionaries. The message seems to promote bravery – but only if it comes with victory. Imagine a superhero battling a villain to save the world, loses and achieves nothing – would we still honor their heroic act? Risk-taking is celebrated retrospectively but stigmatized in practice. This results-oriented portrayal of risk amplifies our aversion to unpredictability. Dufourmantelle challenges us to confront this inconsistency and appreciate risk not merely for its outcomes but as an integral, transformative part of life itself.
“At the risk of being sad.” p. 46 – “At the risk of joy.” p. 73
Venture
It might be tempting to accuse Dufourmantelle of advancing a neoliberal trope of shifting responsibility for collective crises onto individuals. Yet it becomes evident that the philosopher does not place the onus of resolving collective crises on individuals. Instead, her repeated calls to take more risks aim to awaken us from the paralyzing structures that impede collective solutions. She highlights the paradoxical interpretation and avoidance of risks. While individuals are encouraged to minimize personal risks, we paradoxically take monumental collective risks every day. While seeking safety in our personal lives, we risk environmental destruction through climate change, deforestation, and pollution. These collective actions pose immense risks to the planet’s future. By prioritizing short-term comfort and consumption, we accept the growing risk of long-term ecological collapse. Beyond environmental destruction, our capitalist economic system thrives on speculation and uncertainty, creating financial structures that often teeter on the brink of collapse. Social and political systems carry significant risks when they prioritize short-term stability over long-term justice and equity, leading to systemic failures that perpetuate inequality, conflict, and unrest.
“Will we sacrifice again and always more to our rapacious appetite for power and technological mastery? Or will we have the audacity to take within ourselves the responsibility for a difficult freedom that can be risked only to the extent that it’s in danger?” p. 51
Dufourmantelle exposes the contradictions of our time: we have created a world that avoids danger on an individual level while embracing enormous collective risks. By prioritizing short-term or superficial safety over the long term, we forgo opportunities to reevaluate our values, challenge the status quo, and imagine alternatives.
“We are free, of course … Free, first of all, not to subscribe to any of it. It is like a damage waiver, the never-ending and migraine-inducing calculation of probabilities, which you countersign, heeding the little voice that urges you to do it.” p. 11
This reevaluation is not about recklessness but about recognizing that the greatest risk of all is failing to confront the very real dangers we have collectively created. Whether addressing climate change and the systematic destruction of our habitat (and that of all other living beings) or tackling inequalities perpetuated by capitalism and right-wing politics, Dufourmantelle’s philosophy urges us to reclaim risk as a tool for renewal – both on a small and large scale. By reflecting on our own willingness to take risks and our tendencies toward courage and caution, we regain the ability to reconsider our actions as individuals and as a society: to be courageous where we should and more cautious where we must.
In the exhibition “Courage >< Caution”, the works of Bianca Ion, Nikola Milojcevic, and Zula Tuvshinbat explore the theme of risk-taking through the use of diverse materials and techniques, addressing the tension between danger and safety. They employ both hard and soft materials to create contrasts that highlight the transformation of values and engage with issues of waste and resource utilization. By working with materials such as scrap metal, toothpicks, and textiles, they open new perspectives on the environment and society, questioning individual responsibility within the context of collectivity. The motifs in their works reflect the concept of risk and raise questions about value, loss, and transformation in an uncertain world.
Bianca Ion
In her work, Bianca Ion transforms individual elements – such as toothpicks – into components of larger structures, reflecting on the systemic interplay between the individual and the collective, as well as the anatomy of union. From these narrow wooden tips emerge expansive, organic forms, whose curled shapes evoke images of sleeping animals. These seemingly furry creatures turn their backs to viewers while maintaining a sense of self-defense – like a hedgehog with its spines.
In Ion’s series “Human, You’ve Stolen the World – Give It Back!”, she addresses humanity’s treatment of the environment and the exploitation of nature, drawing inspiration from the children’s song “Fox, You’ve Stolen the Goose.” Her work calls for a reevaluation of how we use the planet’s resources, emphasizing the risks of continued exploitation. She suggests that while the world may feel “stolen” by human actions, it is not yet lost, if we find a collective solution.
In “Security Blanket”, Ion reflects on the irony of blankets as symbols of safety and comfort, which simultaneously represent personal retreat and solitude. She explores the emotional risk of opening oneself to genuine connection and encourages moving beyond comfort zones to foster authentic relationships.
“We want intensity without risk. Which is impossible. Intensity is the leap into the void, the unknown part of ourselves that has yet to be written and yet awaits us, some precise thing.” p.20
Nikola Milojcevic
Nikola Milojcevic transforms industrially produced materials such as scrap metal, barrels of hazardous liquids, and discarded by-products – items deemed worthless or destined for disposal – into artworks. The once-defined shapes with perfect edges and curves lose their smooth contours and surfaces. The crumpled texture of the compressed metal cubes evokes the appearance of wrinkled paper, discarded after serving its purpose. Milojcevic questions the criteria by which objects are valued and devalued in a consumer-driven and utility-oriented society. Through the transformation of these obsolete items – compressed, melted, and reshaped – he creates works that explore the transition from value to waste, reversing the equation by turning discarded objects into items of value.
In his light sculpture, Milojcevic addresses urban illumination in cities that never rest, reflecting on the loss of natural cycles and humanity’s estrangement from darkness. In urban spaces, darkness is often associated with power outages, insecurity, and systemic collapse, leading to excessive lighting that envelops us in an illusion of safety.
Milojcevic’s works invite reflection on the appreciation of resources, the need for more sustainable practices, and the ability to recognize value in what others overlook.
“Dependency – we all cozy up to it in secret and demonize it in public.” p.8
Zula Tuvshinbat
Zula Tuvshinbat’s tufting works, inspired by figurative painting, depict bold eccentrics on cozy, soft materials. Naked and wearing high-heeled boots, they find themselves in risky scenarios: they wield symbolic objects like a giant snake or a helmet, embodying both protection and danger, safety and risk. They powerlift dripping hearts and dance on cacti as if they were pole-dance stages. Defying conventional notions of censorship and propriety, they unabashedly display erogenous zones and bodily openings.
While themes of courage push these figures beyond their own boundaries of vulnerability and restraint, elsewhere a motorcyclist, marked with an ominous “13” on their vehicle, crashes into flames after a failed adventure – yet remains utterly unfazed. In contrast, the Luna moth, lacking a functioning mouth or digestive system, is unable to eat as an adult moth. Its sole purpose is reproduction to ensure the survival of its species. The moth symbolizes transience and transformation, raising questions about what truly matters in life. How can we act boldly and with autonomy without losing sight of collective responsibility? These naked boundary-pushers explore the dimensions of courage and caution, navigating the tension between self-realization and hubris.
“At the risk of taking the car into the city for dinner and ending up in Rome the next day after driving through the night, just because you changed your mind.” p.72
Literature:
Anne Dufourmantelle, Praise of Risk, trans. by Wendy Diehl, New York 2015 (original French edition: Louange du risque, Paris 2011).
ABOUT THE GALLERY
The AG18 Gallery is dedicated to providing a platform for Austria’s emerging art scene, bringing underrepresented international voices to Vienna, and fostering an inspiring exchange and dialogue between local and global art communities. The gallery’s program features a wide range of artistic media, with a particular focus on painting. Its schedule is defined by internationally oriented solo, group, and thematic exhibitions across its three gallery spaces. A special focus of the gallery is on young West African art, stemming from Michael Schmitz’s continuous research, numerous direct connections with artists, and close collaboration with the African Artists’ Foundation in Lagos, led by the internationally renowned curator and art manager Azu Nwagbogu.
The gallery was founded in 2018 by passionate art collectors Dr. Margot Schmitz, a clinical psychiatrist and neurologist, and Dr. Michael Schmitz, a psychologist, management coach, and former journalist. Their lives are dedicated to exploring the depth and complexity of human experiences and relationships – an interest that is reflected in their ever-growing art collection and the gallery’s program.
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