I (ICH) / PERFORMATIVE ONTOLOGY

EXHIBITION PROGRAM 2006

September 22 – November 12, 2006
Galerie, Grafisches Kabinett

Bas Jan Ader, Fikret Atay, Johanna Billing, Pavel Braila, Lolou Chérinet, Martin Creed, Alan Currall, Omer Fast, Stano Filko, Lise Harlev, Saskia Holmkvist, Jiří Kovanda, Ján Mančuška, Fiorenza Menini, Yan Pei-Ming, Ivan Moudov, Roman Ondák, Boris Ondreička, Jiří Skála, Barbara Visser, Silvie Vondřejcová, Lawrence Weiner, Ella Ziegler
curated by Vít Havránek (tranzit.cz)



I (Ich) I Performative Ontology, Exhibition view, Secession 2006


I (Ich) I Performative Ontology is the third part or “act” in a series of exhibitions taking place in Bratislava (I Narrow Focus, June 29—August 14, 2005, tranzit), Prague (I Já, May 3—June 20, 2006, Futura Gallery) and Vienna, with a somewhat different constellation of artists in each, while its core, or perhaps the thematic sphere it contains, remains the same.



I (Ich) I Performative Ontology, Exhibition view, Secession 2006


In philosophy, ontology is defined in connection with the idea of conceptualization: “A conceptualization is an abstract, simplified view of the world that we wish to represent for some purpose.” (T.R. Gruber, A Translation Approach to Portable Ontology Specifications, 1993)



I (Ich) I Performative Ontology, Exhibition view, Secession 2006


However, instead of aiming to define the concept in philosophical terms, the exhibition is about what this definition of ontology cannot capture because it concerns a matrix that changes over time. Ontology exists only in particular lives, in individuals, in the ‘I’ in concrete time. Ontology interests us not as a verbal or theoretical dimension in the existence of the individual, but rather as a performative, temporal dimension. Which is why we speak of performative ontology.



Alan Currall, Message to my best Friend, 2001, DVD, 4‘ 20, courtesy of the artist


Like a theater play, I (Ich) I Performative Ontology is divided into three acts that follow on from one another: I. Set-up (Sept 21—Oct 7, 2006), II. Confrontation (Oct 8—Oct 25), III. Resolution (Oct 26—Nov 12, 2006). Some of the works will be visible during one act alone, others during two acts, and others during the course of the entire exhibition. Those works temporarily not on show, however, will not be removed, but merely concealed behind a curtain or switched off. Viewers are called on to imagine the missing artworks (on the basis of the title and media) and to visit the exhibition multiple times.



Alan Currall, Message to my best Friend, 2001, DVD, 4‘ 20, courtesy of the artist


The works shown at the Secession deal with temporality, the relation between subjective and general knowledge, between intimacy and publicness. Some are records of important life situations, others are analytical observations of social structures.



Omer Fast, CNN Concatenated, 2002, DVD NTSC, 18‘ 15, courtesy of the artist


Ján Mančuška, for example, writes a simple sentence on the wall: “43. The number of inhales and exhales I made while drawing this number.”



Jiri Kovanda, Untitled, 1977, (I‘ m crying. I gazed at the sun for so long that I have started to cry.)
Author’s documentation of the action, courtesy: Kontakt. The Art Collection of Erste Bank Group


In her video performance Personal Politics (2003), Loulou Chérinet interviews several Egyptian women abut their lives and everyday problems. These conversations conducted in Arabic are translated by a non-professional translator who is present in the exhibition. During this communication, the personal views and attitudes of the translator and of the viewers inevitably become mixed with the work.

Alan Currall describes his video Message to my best friend (2001) as a performance in front of the camera. Calmly, almost detached, he addresses his intimate declaration of love (for a very good friend) straight to the viewer.

Jiří Skála‘s piece entitled Volume every numbers of my family (2002) consists of four “Minimalist” cardboard boxes. Each box is a different size, derived from the volume of the artist’s family members. Ignoring the external appearance of his family, he undertakes a dubious attempt at portraying their inner life. The cardboard boxes are empty.


PUBLICATION
A catalogue will be printed to accompany the exhibition, with autobiographical contributions by all artists included in the three exhibitions in Bratislava, Prague, and Vienna.

AUTOBIOGRAPHIES 81 pages, 83 b/w illustrations authors: artists, ed.: Vit Havrànek Secession 2006, ISBN 978-3-901926-98 Distribution: Revolver ___________________ available in the shop

VIT HAVRÁNEK
Vít Havránek is an theoretician and organizer based in Prague, Czech Republic. Since 2002 he is working as a project leader of tranzit /www.tranzit.org/ supported by the Erste Bank Group. He worked as a curator for the Municipal Gallery, Prague and National Gallery in Prague. He lectures in contemporary art at the Academy of Applied Arts, Prague. He has curated and co-curated a number of exhibitions, e.g.: (Prague, 2006, Bratislava 2005), project The Need to Document (Basel, Lueneburg, Prague, 2005), Definitions of Everyday (Prague Biennale 2, 2005), Lanterna Magika (Paris, 2002), Jiří Kovanda (Brno, 2004), Otto Piene (Prague 2002), Action, Word, Movement, Space (Prague, 1999). He has had publications on contemporary art in catalogues, has edited and co-edited books (most notably Jiří Kovanda, 2006, The Need to Document, 2005, Lanterna Magika, 2002, Action, Word, Movement, Space, 1999, and has written for contemporary art magazines (Springerin, Artist, Flash Art) and others.


Installation shots: Alexander Koller



The exhibition is supported by: Sharp

The exhibitions are realized through support of:
Erste Bank – Partner of the Secession
Bundesministerium für Unterricht, Kunst und Kultur
Wien Kultur
Friends of the Secession

JULIE AULT / MARTIN BECK

EXHIBITION PROGRAM 2006

For further information and photographic material please contact:
 
Urte Schmitt-Ulms
Secession, Association of Visual Artists Vienna Secession
Friedrichstraße 12, 1010 Vienna
Tel: +43-1-5875307-21, Fax: +43-1-5875307-34
presse@secession.at