Speaking of Others. Tranzit, Auditorium, Stage, Backstage – An Exposure in 32 Acts
13.12.2006 — 14.03.2007
Opening: December 12, 2006, 7 pm
The project Auditorium, Stage, Backstage – An Exposure in 32 Acts was developed by the network tranzit for the platform Speaking of Others at the Frankfurter Kunstverein. Speaking of Others is the general title of a program intended to address contemporary art and discursive practice that move away from the conventional exhibition format. The goal is to find another angle from which to present art and also to open a conversation around different working methods in the contemporary art field. To speak of others means simply to create a space for others to speak – to present ideas, specific art works, critical texts as well as networks and thinking models. The origin of the whole program is quite simple – a desire to learn. The only antidote to hyper-criticism or cynicism is curiosity and a feeling of confidence towards culture. The program is intended to enhance both.That is the reason why we invited tranzit to be part of the program. What is tranzit? Or better who are tranzit? Where do they operate? What do they do?
tranzit is a network, that means an alliance of forces. The notion of network is of relevance since networks are relational systems. A network depends on a host of variables and this implies that everything could also turn out otherwise: results and decisions are interdependent and processual so as to avoid rigidity and absolute terms. tranzit are four autonomous art initiatives in four different cities (Bratislava, Prague, Vienna and Budapest) supported by the Erste Bank Group and initiated by the curators Maria Hlavajova and Kathrin Rhomberg in 2001. Every project is defined by the project leaders/curator/agent and a small team of assistants. The project leaders are: Georg Schollhammer (Austria), Boris Ondreička (Slovakia), Vit Havránek (Czech Republic) and Dóra Hegyi (Hungary). It was a challenge to introduce four projects to the public and to take the opportunity to develop a discussion around specific concerns of every locatity and project as well to avoid generalisations.
For this occasion, the tranzit project leaders have developed, with the Frankfurter Kunstverein as interlocutor, an interesting presentation model: Auditorium, Stage, Backstage – An Exposure in 32 Acts.
The presentation will consist of works by several artists, which will change their positions between the areas of the auditorium, the stage and the backstage on the second floor of the Frankfurter Kunstverein during the exhibition period. Through this mode of display, objects, performative works and temporary presentations will appear in different constellations.
Ludwig Wittgenstein used to state that there are no “genuine” problems – problems only emerge in certain circumstances, specific contexts, in concrete places and times. This project allows for variation and moves towards explaining differences, which is extremely important in a time when politics keep on addressing “regions”.
Participating Artists: Béla Balázs Studio film-program, Egon Bondy, Josef Dabernig, Guillaume Désanges (with Frédéric Cherboeuf), Orshi Drozdik, Róza El-Hassan, Miklós Erdély, Stano Filko, Free School for Art Theory and Practice, Jef Geys, Tibor Hajas, Josef Hiršal, Hamlet Hovsepian, Sanja Iveković, Lilla Khoor – Will Potter, Július Koller, Jiří Kovanda, Pawel Kwiek, Denisa Lehocká, Little Warsaw, Ján Mančuška, Dorit Margreiter, Work Method, Monument of Transformation, fragment # 1, Zbyněk Baladrán, Pavel Humhal, Roman Ondák, Boris Ondreička, Lia Perjovschi, Reinhard Priessnitz, Józef Robakowski, Ernst Schmidt Jr., Jiří Skála, János Sugár, Tamás Szentjóby, Kateřina Šedá, Raša Todosijević, Tomáš Vaněk, Heimo Zobernig
