s/worn out
Adress:
Kunstraum am Schauplatz
Praterstraße 42
1020 Vienna
Opening: 17.10.2024 | 18:00 – 22:00
Exhibition duration: 18.10. – 29.10.2024
Artists:
Magdalena Herzog
Nathalie Koger
Nayeun Park
Total Refusal
Leonie Seibold
Anna Vasof
Curatorial Team:
Exhibition management: Marlene Heidinger
Assistance to the management: Sophia Oberrauch, Sophie Schweizer
Communication: Nabila van der Veen, Anatol Wetzer
YCC-Teamsupervision: Julia Harrauer
Graphic Design: Julia Harrauer
Exhibition Text:
Do powerful people make promises they never intend to keep? Despite the closeness of human connections, recurring patterns of hollow apologies and unfulfilled promises raise critical questions regarding the authenticity of communication and its ethical responsibility. Whether conveyed through patriotic slogans, impassioned political outbursts, or quiet contemplative whispers, a promise is a bond – a commitment that, once made, should be honored.
Oaths and promises emphasize the moral weight of the spoken word because they set expectations and affirmations of trust. However, once promises are broken, they give rise to protest, disillusionment, and a profound sense of unrest. If only those to whom we reveal our vulnerability to could be as honest about their intentions with a simple: “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good…”
The exhibition ‘s/worn out’ explores the inherent power dynamics in making and breaking promises, as well as the far-reaching impact of broken trust, from personal relationships to the global political stage. With the work of six artists, this exhibition examines how insincerity and unreliable commitment can decompose both private bonds and public confidence, revealing the cyclical tension between hope and disappointment.
Magdalena Herzog (b. 1995, Salzburg) is based in Linz and is pursuing Fine Arts at the University of Art and Design Linz. Whispering captures the act of shared, whispered words – moments of vulnerability and empowerment existing within the private sphere. Intimate moments in keeping information private builds trust and emotional attachment. The delicate gestures and soft tones are used as symbols of solidarity and resilience, illustrating the nurture of collective empowerment. Herzog invites the viewer into a contemplative space, where the unspoken carries weight, and silent promises become the ultimate source of vulnerability and resilience.
Vienna-based Nathalie Kogler (b. 1978, Oberkirch) understands filmmaking as a social practice. Her installations and multi-perspective films are often process-oriented and characterized by the concept of open dramaturgy. By reinterpreting Erich Kästner's novel “The Animal's Conference” she raises questions about intergenerational promises. The animals are portrayed and narrated by the next generation itself. By holding a conference, they organize themselves to bring about an agreement between adults that guarantees them and their children a future on earth worth living. A promise that was either broken or never made.
Nayeun Park (b. 1998, Incheon) is a visual artist who graduated in Painting and Animation at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. In this vase series – consisting of ‘A Vase of Resistance’, ‘A Vase of Fighters’ and ‘A Vase of Freedom’ –, Park reimagines historical aesthetics of Attic ceramic art between 630 and 525 B.C. By replacing the misogynistic iconography of ancient Greek ceramics with feminist women’s movements, the artist questions the ethical responsibility of visual storytelling, highlighting how language and power dynamics contribute to both historical and contemporary unrest.
Leonie Seibold, BA MA, (b. 1990, Germany) currently works in the publishing industry after studying media studies and working in theater. This background is reflected in the work of the Vienna-based artist. After a fruitful collaboration with Julia Niemann in their project "apologizing men", she continues to question sociological phenomena with a focus on media. In Seibold’s work “verstehen, warum dies passiert ist“ (understanding why this has happened) she examines real-life situations and events. In all of them, a promise was broken, or an expectation was not fulfilled. With the help of AI, Seibold tries to create an alternative communication and outcome for them.
TOTAL REFUSAL is an open artists’ collective that criticizes and artistically appropriates contemporary video games. The collective addresses how mainstream game narratives perpetuate reactionary tropes that fail to challenge the morality of its players. How To Disappear is an anti-war film set within the hyperreal landscapes of the online war game Battlefield V. Portraying the history of deserters, the film examines disobedience and desertion as acts of resistance. How to Disappear questions the promises of heroism and loyalty that war narratives uphold, exposing the fragility of these constructs.
The work of Vienna-based artist Anna Vasof (b. 1985, Prague) is characterized by a humorous and experimental approach. The projects, which range from time-based media to actions, examine social paradoxes through conventional objects. The shoes from the series “Down to Earth” don’t even try to fulfill their mission. By humorously questioning the purpose of shoes, the works withdraw from any practical human use and begin to tell their own story. They challenge our expectations and what we believe objects should promise.
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