5 Voices of / Contemporary Art and Culture Issue

Content Angelika Loderer p.2 Lisa Holzer p.3 Clemens Krauss p.4 Kay Walkowiak p.5 Eija-Liisa Ahtila p.6 Jacob Dahlgren p.7 Erling Kagge p.8 Ville Kylätasku p.9 Reima Nevalainen p.10 Andreas Greiner p.11 Emeka Ogboh p.12 Daniel Knorr p.13 Brigitte Kowanz p.14 Madeleine Boschan p.15 Photo: © Maximilian Pramatarov In the Studio Brigitte Kowanz, Vienna Brigitte Kowanz takes a distinctive position in the recent history of art. Since the 1980s, light has served the artist as both a medium of transgression and of specification to question the concepts of image and paint- ing in creating a new, integral relationship between the work, space, and the viewer. • read more on page 14 In the Studio Preview Photo: © Thierry BalPhoto: © Thierry Secundino Hernandez Photo © Thomas Ekström Photo © Thomas »How do we picture the world »Every collector has to find

around us?« his or her own path.« Danner Photo: © Michael

Most video works by Finnish visual artist Eija-Liisa A born explorer, Erling Kagge from Oslo has always Tobias Zielony Berlin Ahtila take place on multiple screens, producing dif- confronted challenges. The first man to have reached ferent vantage points of a story simultaneously. She the North Pole, the South Pole, and the summit of upcoming stories intentionally floods or overwhelms the viewer’s sens- Mount Everest, he believes in making life more difficult in our Online Journal on es in order to produce a strong emotional impact. than necessary. Today he is a respected collector of collectorsagenda.com We met her in her writing studio outside Helsinki. contemporary art and the author of a book on collect- • read more on page 6 ing on a limited budget. • read more on page 8 In the Studio Angelika Loderer, Vienna In the Studio Lisa Holzer, Berlin

ways of bypassing the negative form. This is how In some of my works such press texts appear the series Schüttlöcher originated, for which even in the pictures. It was important to me to I poured the casting material into the negative show that one can’t have pictures without text. space, represented by holes of abandoned ani- mal dwellings like dens of moles or hollows of Do your works sometimes look more cheerful woodpeckers. This requires the development than their content really is? of sensitivity towards the environment, mate- Yes, one could say so! I believe nowadays one can- rials, and technique. I’ve always been interes- not make art without joking about the fact that ted in processes and experiments, in which the one makes art. There are no longer taboos. One material properties and the manufacturing can do anything. For example make very ele- process of my materials flow back in the creative gant photographs of pig ears and at the same process as basic parameters of my work. time keep up the freedom of art and take very seriously what one does. I would like to under- With which new materials do you like to line this and communicate a certain kind of work most at the moment? humor or a certain kind of associative thinking At the moment, I am interested in thermoactive or sensibility. materials such as the so-called “mood rings” of the 1990s which change color according to On the glass and frames of many of your works temperature changes and thus supposedly can are transparent drops. What do they mean? reveal sensitivities. I would like to produce The pictures “sweat.” I have always considered objects that play with the body, with closeness my pictures as being protagonists that could and sensitivity. have all kind of conditions. For example, there • read the full story on bit.ly/_AngelikaLoderer are works that blush. The inspiration for the glass came some time ago when I saw a work by Florian Pumhösl, which I liked, and in which he worked with behind-glass-paint. I liked it a Angelika Loderer’s could be described as “media-reflective art”. Her fragile and tempo- Lisa Holzer has not graduated from an art academy, which has done no harm to her success as lot and started making works with behind-glass- rary objects consist of cast metal and secondary or auxiliary products from the casting process, an artist. Does an omelette fit under a door? Do old men look like dogs? The questions posed by Lisa paint on the glass with the idea that the paint on such as molding sand. By this, she reflects on the tension between the durability of the one and the Holzer’s works may not be the most obvious ones, but they sure are funny. But, make no mistake, the prints would partially ooze out of the picture ephemeral quality of the other material. some of her works look more cheerful than they are. through the glass. In the process I arrived at po- lyurethane and sweat. Angelika, what artistic approach are you Lisa, how did art start for you? ing, but I think that is not so important. Some- • read the full story on bit.ly/_LisaHolzer pursuing in your artistic work? »I have always tried Both early and late. My parents were very times it is better that one doesn’t know how I have always tried to expand the term , to expand interested in art. I virtually grew up in contem- to do it and to make and accept mistakes. The and in doing so questioned the meaning of porary art museums. After my high school result is often more exciting. classical sculpture and the representation of the term sculpture.« examination, I attended the college for photogra- the nude figure in sculpture. So I began concen- phy at the “Graphische” in Vienna. The focus You say of yourself that you can’t paint.

trating on its formal foundations and experi- bronze castings. I use this medium in order to Photo: Courtesy Angelika Loderer there was not on art but rather on the technique However, your work is very painterly. 2 menting with various techniques and materials create the work, a sculpture, from it. The sculp- of photography. So I began doing photography Painting per se is very important to me. I would 3 deriving from classical sculpture. I am search- tures emerge according to a plan from the ne- jobs and, in the evenings, I studied at the School almost say that I come from painting as I have ing for a subtle depiction of something that is gative space and are built each time in situ. I find Angelika Loderer for Artistic Photography with Friedl Kubelka, grown up with abstract painting. But drawing normally invisible or considered unimportant the aspects of fragility and impermanence of is represented by but only for one year and once a week in the eve- and painting are not really my thing. I can’t yet has a tremendous influence on our exis- these works interesting, also the fact that the ma- Galerie Clemens Gunzer, ning, which can’t be compared to an art study. really do it, but I like when photography becomes tence and surrounds us constantly. terial is reusable. and Sophie Tappeiner, Vienna Actually, I haven’t really studied art. A career painterly. was not what I was interested in at the time. How did your impressive sculptures from A classical sculptor is expected to create ob- UPCOMING SHOW: I’ve done my photo-jobs, worked as a waitress What role does aesthetics play in your works? sand that could also be seen at the Vienna jects from raw materials. In your case the Sophie Tappeiner, Vienna and I took some psychology courses. Beauty is important to me. I would like to make Secession materialize? object already exists. How did the idea emerge? 25 OCT – 25 NOV 2017 something attractive, but at the same time its

Casting sand is used in the process of making In an effort to safe cost on material I explored Interview: Alexandra-Maria Toth content can be very vicious. I can’t do “ugly”. I’m »There are no longer still working on that. In the beginning it was taboos. the same with text. I couldn’t really write. But it’s a craft that can be learned and acquired One can do anything.« through training. The more you write the easier it gets. So you are a real photographer then? I have photographed since I was fourteen, I have It is noteworthy that text plays a big role in always run around with a camera. What I have your work. really learned is seeing. That is perhaps the most Text is very important to me and writing texts Lisa Holzer important element in photography and for ma- has been part of my practice for a long time. is represented by king pictures in general. I certainly know how Some pictures consist only of text. I love press Galerie Emanuel Layr, Vienna/Rome to take a good photograph, technically speak- releases. I am always writing them myself. Vienna/Rome Photo: Courtesy Lisa Holzer and Galerie Emanuel Layr, MOuSsE MaGAZiNe iS AVAilAblE fOR iPAd

collectorsagenda.com collectorsagenda.com In the Studio Clemens Krauss, Berlin In the Studio Kay Walkowiak, Vienna Edition Kay Walkowiak

It can be compared to a physical digestion and I am concerned with the prototypical individual. bench. Such a setting confronts the viewer in- If Colors Could Speak, 2017 growth process and applies to both the individ- In my representation – at least I maintain this – evitably with the question: May I or may I not? ual and society as a whole. it is sexless, has no identity and is ageless. And it The central motif of the series If Colors Could is not at all myself! I am saying this expressly Travel and the experience of other cultures Speak presents an architectural piece derived Among other topics you always concern because it is often suggested. Although I model are fundamental to your artistic practice. from the utopian planned city Chandigarh in yourself with individuals and society, is that occasionally for my own paintings, it has no- Do you already know what will be the next India, conceived by Le Corbusier during the 1950s. correct? thing to do with self-portraiture in the classical country to attract you? A speaker’s podium, poured in concrete in a Precisely! At the moment, I am very interested sense. I function more as a kind of deputy. For fifteen years now, I have been thinking of brutalist manner, floats as a futuristic relic of a from an analytical point of view in the role of a project in the desert. The silence of the desert failed Modernist utopia against the backdrop the individual in our society and I want to find In your work Self-portrait as a Child you fascinates me, because one is inescapably con- of a black void. Using this dystopian fragment of out what it is that actually establishes social or- did serve as a model for a change. It shows you fronted with oneself and in the experience many the what remains of Chandigarh is today, Kay der, beginning with the individual, the individ- at the age of approximately thirteen and it of our beliefs will be readjusted. Suddenly we Walkowiak once more investigates into what ori- ual (human) body, and ultimately with several evokes strong reactions. become aware of another form of temporality in ginally was a euphoric design how people could bodies in interaction, that is society as such. The teenage years are the most sensitive phases which our existence and perhaps our entire live together. The colors employed individually in the life of each human being. Each viewer galaxy becomes perceptible as only a blink of the across the seven pieces of the series are derived You are known for your structurally strong can identify with this child. It is a vulnerable age cosmos’s eye. The goal I have for my work is from a color palette, developed by Le Corbusier. oil paintings that represent human bodies in which one struggles with becoming oneself making such experiences accessible for other They suggest a minimum of diversity and indivi- seen obliquely from above looking like their and with change. It is an enormously conflict rid- people. Therefore I have conceptualized a film dual expression in an otherwise conformist socie- own shadows. Can you say something about den time as childhood and youth have to be trilogy for the Lahore Biennale 01 in Pakistan, to tal vision. their origination? understood as in conflict. Therefore this special which I have been invited. For its realization I I have lived for quite a while in and São age interested me very much, especially in re- have projected Oman as a potential film location. Paulo. In both places I had the experience of lationship to the videos that I made at the time. being under constant surveillance. One is aware of the monitors in public spaces on which one Can you give us a glimpse into what you will »The appeal for me lies can see oneself and others from strange angles. show in your next exhibition at Galerie CRONE Photos: © Kristin Loschert Photos: © Kristin in Vienna, in the fall? in creating a The work of Clemens Krauss examines in depth Throughout the entire duration of the exhibition Kay Walkowiak is equally at home in sculpture, projection surface.« what truly defines human identity, in the pro- a display of various media and formats will de- photography, and video art. He understands cess of which painting and performance, sculp- velop. The current series Sleeping Dogs will be how to implement these media with precision in You are participating in the group show ture, psychoanalysis, and video art fuse together the topic. The phrase ‘let sleeping dogs lie’ has conceptually dense installations, visualizing Traces of Time at the Leopold Museum in and current social, political, and autobiographi- been in use for a considerable time and certain- poetically such topics as culturally conditioned Vienna in October. What can we expect to cal issues become relevant. ly has its counterpart in other languages. differences in the production of meaning in art. see there? Metaphorically, it is comparable to the myth of I will present some newly produced cross- ‘Pandora’s box’, which, as with “sleeping dogs” In your films and photographs there often media installations with both new film and pho- that should “not be woken”, it is advisable not to appear mysterious geometric shapes that are »Sleeping dogs that should tography as well as sculptural works. I am open. In addition, viewers will be invited to either standing in space or are transported dealing with the question of temporality and not be woken.« engage in individual conversation with me in a by someone. In Island for example we follow particularly the question in how far the past, separate area of the exhibition space. a young man who carries around a black which is typically understood as something that 4 Clemens, what personal concern forms the Through this change of perspective in both the • read the full story on bit.ly/_ClemensKrauss square in his everyday life and we ask our- 5 has passed and is therefore completed, is ac- basis of your artistic work? real and the symbolic sense the body becomes selves what is he doing with it. tually rather open, and, according to Bergson, My work is characterized by the basic motivation on the one hand more complete, the viewer on Especially in my experimental film projects is continuously manifested in the present. of each artistic creation to critically examine the other hand is being brought into a bottom- Clemens Krauss the analysis of geometric forms is exciting to me, With Derrida one could also say that the ghosts the elements that define our world. When I simp- less situation. All this occurs through a mere re- is represented by because the shape is merely a geometric prin- of the past, be it historical events or outstand- ly reproduce certain things instead of reflect- duction of materials. From this observation ori- Galerie CRONE, Berlin/Vienna ciple, and in itself doesn’t transport meaning. ing personalities, are still active, forming the ing on them I am only confirming this. Artistic ginated my motifs of the “plan views”. Frank Stella once said, “What you see is what present. interests offer infinite possibilities of critical UPCOMING SHOW: you see.” In this blank space we project the most Kay Walkowiak (*1980 in Salzburg) lives and • read the full story on bit.ly/_KayWalkowiak examination. Only reflected repetition leads to Through the chosen perspective the repre- Nichtwissen, Galerie CRONE, Vienna varied things, although we essentially see noth- works in Vienna. His work comprises a complex knowledge production or the acknowledge- sented persons seem to lose individual per- 18 OCT – 18 NOV 2017 ing as form. We constantly try to generate mea- mixture of installation, sculpture, video art and

ment of even unpleasant aspects. sonality. Is this intended? Interview: Agnes Wartner ning. This aspect is still interesting to me, revea- photography and combines conceptual and post ling our constant yearning for our need to minimal strategies. In many of his works the art- understand. ist explores the historically and socio-culturally defined handling of form and questions its func- With this in mind, do you have a specific wish tional positioning as a projection surface for time- Contemporary Art of how your art should affect the viewer? less utopias. It would be nice if my art would raise more from the United Arab Emirates questions than provoke the need for direct ans- Archival pigment print on Fine Art Featuring works from the ADMAF Art Collection wers. We have a strong mechanism within us Photo Rag paper that tries to assign meaning to everything, to make Black wooden box frame it comprehensible and acquirable, because we Format: 84.1 x 59.4 cm (33.1 x 23.4 inches) haven’t learned to deal with an openness that Series of 10 + 2 AP, signed and numbered Requiem, 2017, film still 13.09. actually distinguishes life. The appeal for me 1.500 Euro, incl. VAT (13%) Photo: © Kay Walkowiak lies in creating a projection surface and to break • more on bit.ly/_KayWalkowiakEdition — 29.10. 2017 PORTRAIT with expectation. Auguststraße 68 With your objects you not only blur the border- Kay Walkowiak 10117 Berlin curated by_vienna 2017 Mi-Mo, 12-18 Uhr lines between sculpture and performance, is represented by OF A NATION but also between the everyday and what is ele- Zeller van Almsick, Vienna image/reads/text me-berlin.com vated, or between art and an object of utility. The meaning and the entire constellation of a He participates in ZONE 1 space are changeable. In this regard I’ve always of viennacontemporary this year. found it interesting, to question certain con- ventions, how art should be perceived. I like to UPCOMING SHOW: Spuren der Zeit explore and shift these borderlines. Some of Leopold Museum, Vienna my objects, seen as merely sculptural, are only 20 OCT 2017 – 26 FEB 2018 15 SEP – 14 OCT 2017 (Detail), of the artist. change 2016, Courtesy of Khalid Al Banna, Cycle © ADMAF Part of the ADMAF Art Collection. compositions of surfaces and forms but they

Interview: Gabriel Roland could, at the same time, function as a table or

collectorsagenda.com collectorsagenda.com COVERSTORY In the Studio Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Helsinki In the Studio Jacob Dahlgren, Stockholm Portrait Artworks

What is your intention behind a multiple- screen setting that has become a characteris- tic of your video works? To play with the linear perspective and the order it implies – and the viewer’s omnipotence. I’m aiming at creating a cinematic space in which screens interact with each other, making use of the space between the screens, in which the viewer is situated. The viewer enters a state in which she or he is never able to see everything at the same time as things occur in the room. The setting denies a singular perspective of things, or a specific order of how knowledge Henrik Kanekrans, founder of Artworks is acquired. It also emphasizes the fact that we from Stockholm have to make choices about how we want to look at certain things. Henrik, you set up an online art platform with an associated app. Ecologies of Drama will open at Salon On what beliefs did you found Artworks? Dahlmann in Berlin in September. Can you Art is becoming a conversational topic around give us an outlook to the show? the dinner table. However, most people still There will be three works exhibited: a three- feel like idiots when exposed to the art scene. monitor piece called Me/We, Okay, Gray which We believe, in order to enjoy art more, and to consists of very short black and white narra- become more proficient at it, people need to see tives which I originally made to be shown on as much great art as possible. But how do I TV among advertising and at the same time as end up in front of it, if I don’t know that it exists? an installation in a gallery or museum space. We wanted to create something that would Horizontal, a horizontal video portrait of a pine Attracted by minimalist tradition, Swedish artist Jacob Dahlgren finds abstraction in help people navigate the jungle of available art – Eija-Liisa, you are often referred to as a What are you trying to achieve in your film- spruce in six different parts, will be spread everyday objects and often overlooked details of contemporary life, which he employs to create a pocket-sized art guide. “filmmaker” and “video artist”. Is this how ographic work? across the east walls of the two other rooms. dynamic interactive installations and performances. you see yourself? I am trying to stretch the idea of what a moving This is the first time the work will be shown Aren’t many art platforms serving this It is true that I attended film school. But I think image should be like, and how stories are told, in Berlin. The third work in the exhibition will Jacob, it’s impossible to avoid “stripes” when You look a bit grim on these pictures … need already? my approach is very much one of a visual artist. or could be told. I firmly believe that people are be a one-screen film version of my latest work talking with you. You wear a striped T-shirt Is this intended? Many of the available platforms serve a clien- Instead of thinking along the lines of a certain able to associate things much more broadly Studies on the Ecology of Drama. every single day. Where does your obsession I try to always look the same in all the pictures. tele that is already art-savvy – the inner circles length, a particular audience, or other parame- than what the Hollywood tradition of story tel- • read the full story on bit.ly/_EijaLiisaAhtila with stripes come from? Usually I look a bit unhappy, true, but I decided of the art world so to speak. Of course, I’m ters, I am more preoccupied with the medium ling, or the narrative in our Western culture, To start with, I don’t really care much about to put away all emotions, so that the focus re- biased but we like to believe that our edge is be- itself and the implied artistic approach. I am expect us to do. dots. (laughs) My fascination with stripes goes mains on the alternating T-shirts. That way, ing inclusive and understood by everyone. questioning what can be done with moving back to my time at art school, where I did a the world is changing, and I am in the middle, Art is the biggest untapped market in the world. image, and what characterizes this specific me- Animals often appear in your works. What lot of Constructivist paintings. Without really just getting older. Only a fraction of people can afford to purchase dium. dramaturgical role do they have? 6 noticing, I kept coming back to paintings art. Anything that successfully manages to lower 7 That is the question I’m working with. Studies composed of color fields. A friend told me “You Have you ever worn a collar shirt in your life? the barriers to entry for the less street-wise on the Ecology of Drama approaches that know what, Jacob, you look like one of your No, not since 2001. I even wear striped T-shirts art scene goer will become hugely successful, question with different hypotheses and exercises. »I aim to introduce paintings.” And it was true, because I loved to at funerals and weddings. whilst helping the artists, too. What role will the other living creatures pro- wear these striped T-shirts from the 1980s. a way of viewing pose when included in the moving image work? After that I looked at my paintings differently. Have you completely left painting nowadays? Today there is an app for every aspect of And what kind of an impact can it have on the world that is not The T-shirt was a kind of continuation, out- I am still painting – in a way. But I very rarely everyday life. Is the future of buying art a the ways moving images work and communicate side the painting, which I found much more use paint. At the moment I really enjoy working digital one? human-centered.« things? It is very interesting and exciting how interesting. with untreated MDF boards. For this piece here The online space certainly has changed the way an altered perception of time can hugely change Horizontal, 2011, installation view Kiasma 2013 I carved out an indentation, which works as a we experience, exchange ideas, and talk about What attracts you about moving image? the idea of a dramatic event. By doing that I Photo: Courtesy Crystal Eye, © Pirje Mykkänen So that’s when you started looking at your duct for 4-meter-long cable to form a pattern, things. Especially a younger generation – tomor- Moving image is the central medium by which aim to introduce a relevant way of viewing the shirts as pieces of art of their own? a drawing if you will. Attached to the painting row’s collectors and art fans – are increasingly we mediate our reality and form an image of world – one that is not human-centered, one Yes, by wearing one of my T-shirts I, or my is a cable reel. You may plug the cable into a po- culturally interested. Their first go-to-point is our surroundings and our society at large. It has that shows us as part of the living. I feel it is im- shirt, would become the painting. So I started wer socket and connect monitors to the paint- digital. To limit art consumption to a brick-and- become the central medium of presenting the portant that we reconsider our place and role Eija-Liisa Ahtila is represented by acting out more in the public space, away from ing. You may also connect it with another paint- mortar exposure only would be ignorant, and world. But to the same degree the medium shows on this planet as human beings – as members Marian Goodman Gallery exhibition spaces. Just as one assembles dif- ing. So, rather than paint I have moved to not recognizing art’s full potential. But as long the world to us, it hides other parts. A specific of the larger community. A debate about the New York /Paris/London ferent paintings to create an exhibition I wore making my paintings using objects. I am quite as we live in the ‘real’ world we will always ap- perspective and a particular version of looking post-humanist situation and bio-political issues fourteen different T-shirts for fourteen days, interested in Minimalism and the Minimalist preciate and enjoy art in person. But I would at the world are imposed. It is inevitable to has started and it is crucial that these topics UPCOMING SHOW: taking off one each day, to create a performa- tradition. But it is important to me to make a say both worlds are relying on each other, and ask: Who should be allowed to perform in this enter our awareness permanently and have an Ecologies of Drama tive exhibition. On day one I had to take my connection to our daily lives. So I try to pair will do so increasingly. image of our world that we create? Who can impact on our actions. Salon Dahlmann, Berlin kids to kindergarten wearing fourteen T-shirts up Minimalism with objects of day-to-day use. be a protagonist? To whom, or what, do we grant 12 SEP – 16 DEC 2017 on top of each other, which got me a lot of This way, anything can be transformed into a Do people click and buy directly on Artworks? the status of an actor? strange looks by other parents. (laughs) minimal object. There is no way of denying that the best way to experience art is to stand in front of it. But peo-

designweek.at www.vienna Do you like your surrounding interact with ple can reserve a piece of art through us, and »I even wear striped your work? also, for the confident customer, arrange to get T-shirts at funerals Yes, absolutely. Sometimes I even let other it to your home. We see our role as a facilitator 29.9. A City people take the lead in process, ra- to put an interested buyer in touch with the and weddings.« ther than letting them respond to the work. gallery, where she or he can arrange to see the For example, for ten years I have been follow- work in real life. You are now running an Instagram feed with ing people with a camera in different cities. 8.10. Full of you wearing a different shirt in each picture. Whenever I see someone with a striped T-shirt What is the art scene like in Scandinavia? Yes, one could say that the original exhibition I follow the person until I get noticed, or until It is vital and flourishing. Our creative industries has turned into a social media performance. he or she goes somewhere where I cannot have produced major exports in the domain The feed on my website updates itself every day. follow. Sometimes I end up in a neighborhood of design, fashion, gaming and of course music. 2017 Design All pictures are cropped exactly the same for- I really am not supposed to be in. It’s a bit like To me it is just logic that the world will hear mat, so it’s really nice when you put them toge- stepping onto forbidden terrain. more about art from countries such as Sweden Bueronardin ther and flick through them. • read the full story on bit.ly/_JacobDahlgren in the future. artworksapp.com

collectorsagenda.com collectorsagenda.com Edition Sofie Thorsen, Vienna COVERSTORY Collector Story Erling Kagge, Oslo In the Studio Ville Kylätasku, Berlin

qualities of the human spirit. In painting this translated into a desire by painters to stir positive feelings among viewers of their art. A painting became more than a depiction of something. These paintings were a turning point in art history and have not lost their appeal even in the present day.

Many of your works feel very spatial. Some seem almost like collages of matter. Although I started with the conventional oil on canvas technique, which I am still using, my paintings have indeed become very plastic during the years. I have always taken an inter- est in new materials. As opposites or counter- parts play such an important role in my work, the materials I process emphasize this kind of counterplay. You find me everywhere in Ber- lin’s designer and architect equipment stores, constantly searching for materials of opposing character, such as shiny and matte, solid and transparent.

Watching you paint it all looks very playful and impulsive. Is there an unspoken plan as Photo: © Thomas Ekström Photo: © Thomas the painting takes shape? Erling, in the Poor Collector’s Guide you though that part might be nice, but rather to Ville Kylätasku explores existential themes, both on the level of the reality we see and experience To some extent my way of working is very in- Spielplastik, 2015 write that buying what you like is not enough buy great works by great artists. And the quick- and within the context of perceptual psychology. Painted on black or foggy sheets of hi-tech PVC, tuitive and, yes, impulsive. During the process to be a collector. Could you explain that? est way to do that is to be close to galleries. the paintings evince the artist’s fascination for different materials, textures and processes. I follow my desire. Working with PVC sheets This work is This work is by Sofie Thorsen It’s too easy to just buy art that pleases your supports me in this approach, as the material (*1971 in in Århus, Denmark) based on a clim- eye. If you do that you will soon be bored of the It’s tempting to compare the challenges Ville, can you explain to someone who may not Selfhood needs otherness, individuality and is more forgiving than canvas – one does not bing frame of Austrian sculptor Josef Seebacher- art you have because it’s too easy to compre- you seek in collecting art with your past as an know your practice, what you are preoccupied identity develop through those social relations have to be so deliberate with every move, and Konzut, who participated in the Kunst am Bau hend. If you want to build a great collection you explorer and adventurer. with in the art that you are making? which can mirror our own being. I am looking this way I am able to sit back and contemplate (art-in-) initiative during the post- shouldn’t think about your personal taste or There are some similarities. I really believe that In the history of philosophy and religion, the at these counterparts that define life. I take a lot for a while on what the next step should be. war period. The folding distorts the original aesthetics. Instead ask yourself: Is this interes- we are all born explorers. That has become ultimate questions of life have always been the of interest in mythology and modern sciences. It’s an interplay between impulse and reflection, shape of a cutout of a black-and-white photog- ting to me? Is it challenging? Does it develop clear to me when I watched my two daughters perennial questions that recur infinitely with- Life is a mystery that can’t be rationalized but maybe best described as “controlled impulse.” raphy showing a child climbing a play sculp- my mind? learning to walk. The common denominator out resolution. I am interested in those perennial it’s possible to sense it. So I’m concentrating Everything starts in mystery, and ends in mys- ture. Its plasticity evokes a rudimentary three- for doing expeditions and venturing into the art questions that relate to the human condition. on producing these emotions. I feel we need art tery. Like life itself! dimensionality whilst inviting to an interplay 8 How does one develop a discerning eye for world is that we are curious beings. And for My art contemplates on what creates a persona, that has the ability to touch our souls. • read the full story on bit.ly/_VilleKylätasku 9 between picture and surface. good art? both you need to be well prepared. I have sucee- the mind, the consciousness, and its condition. I think being well prepared enables you to col- ded as an explorer not because I’m physically Your work is often discussed as seeking Folded inkjet print on Photo Rag paper, lect with your eyes, which is the most important fitter than others, but because I have always been What is the crux of the issue when it comes reference to the Renaissance period. On which mounted on black cardboard in frame thing. But, ultimately, you will also start col- careful about my preparations. to investigating into our existence? levels do you draw a connection? UPCOMING SHOW: Format: 42 x 32 cm (16.5 x 11.8 inches) lecting with your nose and ears, when you start The fact that we exist can be derived from a During the Renaissance period the painters Edition of 20 + 2 AP, signed and numbered talking to people and develop a feeling for Collecting a lot of physical possessions co-dependence of counterparts. For example, were driven by similar motifs as the ones we Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki 900 Euro, incl. VAT (13%) what’s going on. It’s so difficult to understand seems to be opposed to leaving everything be- awareness requires materiality and sensory have just been talking about. It was a time 17 NOV 2017 – 7 JAN 2018 • more on bit.ly/SofieThorsenEdition contemporary art. That is why it is vital to hind to set out into the wild, as you did. ability. Only in this way are reality and self- during which a new self-awareness took form, build your own taste, but also to be ahead of (laughs) I agree – it’s a dilemma! Doing an expe- awareness explainable. Counterparts also lay and when society, science, philosophy, and GALERIE EMANUEL LAYR your own taste. The worst thing is to be inde- dition is about reducing, while collecting art in the basis of our social and moral existence. the arts developed a heightened interest in the cisive. You can’t be a collector when you hardly is about owning and certainly about adding. But, buy art at all. to me, these opposites are no contradiction ROME because, in a way, both have much in common. NICK Different collectors have different approaches And there is a time for everything in life. In the Salon Dahlmann and motivations to collecting art. Are there 1980s and 90s, my life was very much about 12. Sep —16. Dec 2017 MIETTINEN OBERTHALER expeditions. Today it’s more about publishing, some you particularly respect and some you Berlin Art Week opening hours wouldn’t recommend at all? writing, family life, and art collecting. Tuesday to Sunday, 12—6 pm Eija-Liisa 17.9.– I can relate to collectors who have a limited • read the full story on bit.ly/_ErlingKagge Interview: Gabriel Roland C amount of money to spend. That means you Marburger Straße 3, 10789 Berlin Ahtila 11.11.2017 have to make choices all the time. In my ex- Saturday, 12—6 pm Ecologies of Drama O www.salon-dahlmann.de perience limitations can be very healthy and make for interesting collections. On the other L hand, collectors who have almost unlimited resources end up having boring collections L S because they can buy whatever they like. They E lack soul. A C Gravitation An important part of starting to collect is L Hoffmann Sonntag to have the right people to talk to. Do you have Terike T Kathrin Concierge Room

O Apartment Private advice for emerging collectors about whom Haapoja to connect with? I Up in Arms The curators and museum directors are impor- N Nina tant and so could be people in the media as well O as the artists themselves. And the same applies N to other collectors. But, for me, the galleries are DAHLMANN WWW.EMANUELLAYR.COM the most important point of contact. I didn’t enter the art world to make new friends, even

collectorsagenda.com collectorsagenda.com In the Studio Reima Nevalainen, Helsinki In the Studio Andreas Greiner, Berlin Portrait Vienna Art Week

practical side of making my first museum This year’s edition of the Vienna Art Week exhibition at that point in my career in a rela- runs under the banner of “Transforming tively short time. Once the exhibition took Technology”. What can we expect from it? shape, opened to the public and received good Never before has an innovation shaped our daily reviews, it became one of the most satisfying lives in such radical ways as the digitalization experiences in my life. Losing hair, sleep and and technological achievements such as artifi- appetite for one year made it even a greater cial intelligence. In times like these, artists and achievement after the positive reviews rolled creatives, who are extremely sensitive to social in. Other than on the practical side, being developments, act as indicators for future de- awarded something like that is quite humbling velopments and for changes these innovations at that point in one’s career. Although not ne- will undergo. This year’s Vienna Art Week will cessarily autobiographical, my paintings are in- examine crucial current questions and offer timate, like pieces of me. Being applauded unique insights into the creative potential at for doing such work was exciting but also a bit the intersection of society, art and technologi- uncomfortable, to be honest. cal possibilities.

Your next show will be in Miami this fall. Which space are you occupying with Vienna Can you tell us a bit about what we can expect Art Week as part of the annual there? program of cultural events in Vienna? I am currently moving my home and studio In the thirteen years of its existence Vienna Art here in Finland, which in a way closes a busy Week has grown into an international large- four-year period for me and marks the start scale event that attracts visitors from all over of a new chapter. The upcoming show is of spe- the world and strengthens Vienna’s reputation cial importance to me as it will present a selec- as a venue for contemporary culture. It is cru- tion of paintings and drawings from this work cial to put Vienna’s incredibly vibrant creative Photo Courtesy Reima Nevalainen period. I hope I can make a contribution to the Danner Photo: © Michael scene into the spotlight once a year and to Humans and nature serve as the subject matter of Reima Nevalainen’s multi-layered collage Miami art scene with something different, and A virtually boundless curiosity characterizes the artist Andreas Greiner, a former student of Ólafur remind local politics of how vital a buzzing art paintings – not as conflicting elements, however, for human figures and nature coexist as equals in with images that have been incubating both in ElÍasson. His art is concerned with questions and answers relating to phenomena associated scene is for the city’s extraordinary quality his compositions. He mines his subject matter from personal experience, trusting in the intuitive Japan and Finland. After the show I will enter with the natural sciences, the humanities, medicine, anatomy, and music. We met Greiner in his of life. power of the subconscious. a new working phase which always feels to me studio, which he shares with some of his former co-students, all young stars of today’s art scene. like I am embarking on a new journey. Having Can you share your personal Reima, how would you describe what you do the show outside Finland in a place that I have At Berlinische Galerie you recreated a broiler highlights of this year’s Vienna Art Week? to someone who has no previous knowledge never been before seems to be somehow fitting. chicken in the size of a Pterosaur. One of the must-sees is definitely the Art & of your artistic practice? • read the full story on bit.ly/_ReimaNevalainen Can you tell us something about the genesis Technology Line-Up at the MAK – an event fea- I am a painter and I use mixed media to create of the project titled Monument for the 308. turing screenings, talks and performances by multilayered images of the human being. I am My earlier work From Strings to Dinosaurs renowned technology experts, scientists and interested in the human condition. My paint- with Tyler Friedman inspired me to explore the artists. One of the first human cyborgs will ings are often a mixture of my experiences and Reima Nevalainen history of the extinction of species. The notion even make an appearance there. And, for the 10 observations of other people with memory is represented by that species can become extinct is not that old first time this year, the Alternative Spaces 11 serving as a reference. My imagery is based on Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki and it is based on the excavation of dinosaur Open House takes place on November 15, where reality and it tries to direct the viewer’s atten- bones. During my research I discovered that in Vienna’s many independent art spaces open tion to the intrinsic value of existence. I see the UPCOMING SHOW: the early nineteenth century the French ana- their doors to night strollers and other visitors human figure, its anatomy and layers analogous Diana Lowenstein Gallery, Miami tomist Georges Cuvier coined the term “espèce from 6 pm till 9 pm. to landscapes, to the earth and its sediments. 9 SEP – 20 OCT 2017 perdue”– lost species. As one of the earliest Monument for the 308, installation view at And vice versa, landscapes or plant life can be scientists he established the theory that an enor- One of my personal favorites is the Open Studio Berlinische Galerie, 2016, Photo: © Theo Bitzer seen as metaphors for the human being. mous catas-trophe must have occurred and Day, where Vienna’s young and upcoming extinguished many species. With this theory he artists invite visitors into their work spaces. One might say that you are in a way decon- laid the basic foundation for today’s concept How can criticism of our consumer Not only do you get to see exceptional crea- structing the human figure. of evolution. behavior be read from the anatomy of a tive spaces on these tours, that are usually hid- I am painting an ascetic world in which only fattened rooster? den from the public. They are also a unique what remains exists. It’s easier for me to define So this idea was developed for this work? In order to carry as much meat as possible fat- opportunity to network among Vienna’s art what being human is by negation, omission, Yes. Chicken are actually close relatives of tened chicken must develop very strong legs. scene and to experience the city in a different Consume us, 2015, Photo: © Angel Gil and absence. So, it’s a quest for emptiness. It dinosaurs in the evolution of birds. That means Chicken grow quickly, but because of their short way. 2017.viennaartweek.at feels like I’m trying to get to know someone by in terms of evolution the chicken is a very an- life span their bones do not reach the maturity stripping away the qualities of this person and about starting on a fresh piece of canvas? cient bird. It can’t really fly but flutters instead. of a fully-grown bone. Monument for the 308 vi- to see what, if anything, remains in the end. Often the fluctuation between my paintings is This is what scientists also assume in regard sualizes the changes in the skeletal structure like the day and night cycle. I feel the need to the Archeopteryx whose discovery contribu- of a chicken by presenting it as if under a mag- With their raw, fleshy style your to refresh and so I proceed quite differently on ted to the essential corroboration of Darwin’s nifying glass displaying the immature growth paintings are reminiscent of the work of the next one after finishing the previous. theory of evolution. I planned Monument for form of the young bones and their absurd pro- Francis Bacon. Usually the painting is formed on the canvas the 308 deliberately as an exemplary dinosaur portions. Therefore it is a speculative archeo- Bacon is up there for me in the pantheon of and I don’t really make sketches, drawings of our time for the entrance hall of the logy that reveals a lot about us, about our culture, painters. I look up to him as an ancestor in the are a separate line of work for me. A technique Berlinische Galerie. and particularly about our relationship to same professional lineage and branch in paint- that feels natural to me is the combined use nature. ing. Looking at his works I certainly feel rela- of collage and of décollage. In my case it means You speak about the extinction of the species ted to him, although his figures are of flesh, fluid that I cover the whole canvas with paper before and of Darwin’s theory of evolution. Where can your art be located in our time? and in motion, whereas the human being I’m starting to paint. Sometimes I paint first on the What notions does the work epitomize? We live in a time in which human beings have depicting is mummified and patterned by sinews. paper, let it dry and then paste it on the canvas. For quite some time, I have been politically mo- become the decisive creative power on this I feel like my painting’s world is based on some- Paint covering paper and paper covering paint, tivated in my behavior as a consumer, in planet. Our footprint is everywhere. The classic thing more fragile. It’s based on errors and some of my paintings accumulate many layers. particular in my choice of food. The treatment dichotomy between nature and art is dissol- doubt. Bacon seemed to develop such a certain- Some of the older layers become visible as I tear and mass production of fattening animals is ving – artifacts are replaced by biofacts and ty so quickly. It seems almost otherworldly. off paper covering them. a catastrophe. For quite some time, I’ve rejected man is now creating what was classically un- meat from commercial animal fattening derstood as nature. My work seeks to question Photo: © Florian Rainer Your choice of materials includes paint, You were selected as Finland’s plants. Furthermore, I’ve always been fascina- these boundaries, or non-boundaries, between Robert Punkenhofer, Artistic Director of the sand, and paper, and you draw on a variety of Young Artist for 2016; how did you feel about ted by anatomy, this being the reason why nature and man and also the ethical dimen- Vienna Art Week, is speaking to us about this techniques in your paintings, including col- receiving such a prestigious award? I developed the work from an anatomical per- sions of our creative impact. year’s edition of the annual art festival, which

lage, layering, and scraping. How do you go At first, I was terrified and nervous of the Interview: Julia Rosenbaum spective. • read the full story on bit.ly/_AndreasGreiner will take place again this November.

collectorsagenda.com collectorsagenda.com In the Studio Emeka Ogboh, Berlin In the Studio Daniel Knorr, Berlin

What do you miss most about Nigeria? created books containing objects I found in the The ambience and the people, their sense of street, this act is in itself, a kind of contemporary humor… this positive and confident energy archeology. The books are sold both in Kassel emanating from them. There is a Nigerian vibe and Athens and the proceeds finance the smoke that can’t be replicated elsewhere, it is quite in Kassel. I was interested in creating a circular unique. I also miss fresh Nigerian food. flow that challenges hermetic archeology through the act of collecting in the streets of What is your personal soundtrack of Lagos? Athens. As expiration, consummation, and In terms of music, there is this song Ojuelegba spending Expiration Movement represents an by Wizkid. It’s a feel-good song that embodies antithesis to collecting and preserving. the go-getter spirit of Lagos. In the past you have worked together with Adam Szymczyk, the artistic director of this »There is a year’s documenta. What do you think of his curatorial concept? Nigerian vibe that Adam is one of the best curators I know. His can’t be concept is that of an open network. Like enter- ing a train of thought, he engages with every replicated elsewhere.« artist he finds interesting and accompanies him or her for a while. His way of curating is unique, Can you give us some insight into what you because it compares to an artistic practice. He did for documenta 14 this year? supports new concepts and marginal positions, For documenta in Athens I created a multimedia discovers new possibilities of perceptions. In installation titled The Way Earthly Things Are doing so he does not follow the trends of the art Going. It’s a twelve-channel sound installation world, but he creates new paths. An exhibition Photo: © Michael Danner Photo: © Michael with LED displays of stock indices from around Photo: © Bernd Borchard is a kind of code. We understand even more if While most of us take in the world with our eyes, Nigeria-born sound and installation artist Emeka the world in real time, putting a focus on the Daniel Knorr’s work could be described as sculptural in the broader sense and characterized by we try to decode him. Sometimes concepts are Ogboh connects to places with his senses of hearing and taste, and in doing so offers an alternative financial crisis and its effects. The accompany- its complexity of content. His „materializations“, as he calls them himself, are observations and, so complex that it takes time to understand an to conventional representations of urban life. He is best known for his experimental soundscapes ing sound features a traditional polyphonic quite often political, conceptual thoughts, which seek ingenious forms of expression in enclosed exhibition – just like an artwork. that animate the experience of living in contemporary Lagos. In 2015, he participated in the title song from Epirus, Greece performed by Pleiades, or public spaces, that are not restricted to particular media. • read the full story on bit.ly/_DanielKnorr exhibition of the Biennale, All the World’s Futures. This year, Emeka is completing a mara- an all-female vocal group, and it’s set in the thon of presentations of international acclaim, including documenta 14 in Athens and Kassel. unfinished auditorium of the Odeion Conserva- Daniel, on the occasion of documenta 14 you artists, who are represented with works at tory. For Kassel I collaborated with CraftBEE are exhibiting a work consisting of smoke, both venues. Do your works correspond with Daniel Knorr What have your experiences in Berlin been riding back to my apartment from the airport to brew a beer, the SufferheadKassel edition. seemingly a product of ignition in the tower each other? is represented by like since your arrival in 2014? or train station. The music reconnects me to It’s a conceptual work that explores being black of the Fridericianum. How does this instal- It was my intention to create a corresponding Galerie nächst St. Stephan, Vienna I have to say that Berlin has been very stimu- the city, but if I have to randomly choose one in Europe through brewing and branding a lation fit into your artistic practice? and financial connection between my works latingso far. I have focused on discovering song from the list, I would go with A World beer. As with my earlier works, Expiration Move- in Athens and Kassel. In Athens I showed and food and music, and through this I have expe- Without by Phaeleh. ment is also the materialization of a concept. 12 rienced a lot of different cultures in the city. Brewing one’s own beer, as you did in Kassel, The work is about the representation of the 13 The city has had a big impact on my artistic You were born in Enugu, Nigeria and lived in is quite an unusual idea. What has expression of a social moment, in which we find practice. My interest in collaborating with Lagos for a long time. Now you are in Berlin. beer got to do with the body of your work? ourselves: the moment of expiration and of composers grew in Berlin, so did my explora- Where is home for you? I’m an artist, and I like craft beer, these two had transience. It is my intention to describe the sa- tion of audio archives. My recent work with With time, I’ve come to realize that the concept to intersect at some point. Migration is a regu- tiation of colonialism as a phenomenon of beer brewing and branding was also activated of home is not just of a physical place, but is lar theme in my work, and I realized that I can our time, as the impossibility to further inhale, by being in Berlin. also something you carry within you. Wherever explore this theme through the act of craft beer capture, and occupy. The result is expiration, I feel comfortable is where I consider home. brewing, and through the advertisement of release, and change. What’s your personal Berlin soundtrack? And for me it could be Berlin, Lagos, Enugu, and the beer. This is what the Sufferhead beer pro- I have a playlist for Berlin that I listen to many other places. ject is about. For the first time, this year the documenta Interview: Julia Rosenbaum whenever I get back to the city, especially while • read the full story on bit.ly/_EmekaOgboh Interview: Gabriel Roland is also held in Athens. You are one of the few

20.10.2017–26.02.2018

SPUREN DER ZEIT Wien Almsick, van und Zeller Walkowiak Kay Courtesy 2017 (Videostill), The City Lost, Walkowiak, Kay MLADEN BIZUMIC, CÄCILIA BROWN, ANDREAS FOGARASI, SOFIE THORSEN, KAY WALKOWIAK, ANITA WITEK www.leopoldmuseum.org

collectorsagenda.com Collectors Agenda.indd 1 collectorsagenda.com 18.08.2017 13:47:59 COVERSTORY In the Studio Brigitte Kowanz, Vienna Edition Madeleine Boschan, Berlin

a typical mirror image. In these works viewers What lays bare in me, 2017 find themselves in virtually generated rooms in which I try to confront them with philosophy, In What lays bare in me, a series of seven unique language, and acute socio-political issues. This pieces, Madeleine Boschan (*1979 in Braun- is an important phenomenon and is accom- schweig, ) suggests that architecture panied by aspects of natural science. The obser- is much more than the fundamental human need vation and presence of light is actually some- to create a roof over one’s head. In a serious thing very elementary that everyone can expe- appreciation of architecture therefore, it must be rience day by day. perceived as inherently utopian; Madeleine Boschan’s most recent work configured in this How does it feel when one is called to repre- edition represents a subtle study of this inherent sent one’s country in one of the most prerequisite. important international art exhibitions, La Biennale Arte di Venezia? Every sculpture emits its own, very particular It was a very big surprise, because I had no attraction. Each individual angulation informs of longer expected it, and actually I was no longer its unique character and is further confirmed concerned about it (laughs), so this enabled by its coloration. me to feel joy about it. Gradually I am becoming aware that this nomination entails many posi- Laquered aluminum, tive as well as rather difficult aspects. 41 x 21 x 9 cm (16.1 x 8.3 x 3.5 in) Edition of 7 unique items, with certificate How did the combination with Erwin Wurm 1.200 Euro (incl. 13% VAT) for the Austrian Pavilion come about? colors: light salmon, light turquoise, The curator, Christa Steinle, proposed the two light yellow, lilac, rust, strawberry red, teal of us. At the core of the project is how we deal

Photos: © Maximilian Pramatarov • more on bit.ly/_MadeleineBoschanEdition with temporality and materiality: for my part Mrs. Kowanz, since when have you been faces, and what images emerge in the process. I had turned away from classical media very dealing with light? This is where computer work comes into place. early and had begun to experiment with light. Madeleine Boschan’s sculptures make visible Your works make a very archaic impression – that the sculptures and temples were originally I have always done drawings, but even in the layers of historical, emotional, and spiritual as- like ritual sites of an ancient culture. colorful and that even the Acropolis was covered first installations with my former partner Franz One gains the impression that you follow an At first glance Erwin Wurm and you seem to pects that characterize all manmade locations For me it is as if the sculptures are being load- with green, ochre, pink, violet, and light blue. Graf, I had begun to include light. In the be- explorative, almost scientific approach. be an unlikely pairing. and spaces. The relationship between space and ed by their environment and the people who • read the full story on bit.ly/_MadeleineBoschan ginning we were concerned with color spaces, Yes, it is certainly explorative research. My way This has frequently been pointed out to us, body and the resulting implications constitute look at them. They function as memory. followed by black light in connection with fluo- of proceeding is actually phenomenological. but I must honestly say that I prefer to exhibit a decisive element in Boschan’s work. UPCOMING SHOW: rescent colors; painting became more present. There is always an initial idea but most things with someone whose work differs significantly History and specifically the history of archi- What lays bare in me, Collectors Agenda After our separation, Franz continued with must simply be tried out and developed as in from mine. I believe an exciting confrontation tecture are a great inspiration for you? Franz-Josefs-Kai 3, Vienna drawing and I continued pursuing light. During a laboratory. One notices with each subsequent between our two contributions has emerged. »Art is no mini-golf Without a context one has no stance. It’s not 7 SEP – 14 OCT 2017 my studies, I worked with experimental film, work what is being discovered and the resul- course.« just about physics. For me social and ethical video, and photography where light plays a cru- tant new interests. What comes after Venice? questions are important. Where and how are 14 cial role. I would like to know that myself! There is a lot Madeleine, viewed from various angles the encounters possible? Is it even possible that 15 Do you want to trigger or cause something that I have to do, but I must see whether the character of your sculptures changes con- one can come together? An idea of connection How does your approach to light compare specific in the viewer? attention will increase. At the moment interest siderably – from one perspective they may possibilities. to that of other artists who use light, such as Light is the prerequisite for seeing and percei- in my work is stronger than before. Venice appear fragile, from another quite massive. Dan Flavin or James Turrell? ving. Light in itself, however, can only be per- has certainly made a difference. A minimal change in angle changes every- Which concept are you pursuing with the

Dan Flavin created his installations with con- ceived in connection with material. Light is en- • read the full story on bit.ly/_BrigitteKowanz Interview: Gabriel Roland thing. Something becomes narrow or wide. We colors you choose? ceptual rigor as abstract forms. James Turrell ergetic and dynamic, it is a carrier of informa- human beings also have a more narrow and a The location is a decisive factor. For example, creates spaces that operate with the illusion tion. Light can be and can not be. This on and This story has emerged from a collaboration with broader side. When Bruce Nauman in the 1960s the color scheme of the works that I showed of surface. In my work I try to create spatiality, off opens the possibility to inform with light. auction house Dorotheum, sponsor of the walked in his studio in precise rectangles, it in last year originate in “antique poly- that is three-dimensionality, through the lay- Light is expansive and elusive, it never remains Austrian Pavilion at the 57th Biennale di Venezia. was certainly a physical experience, but it was chromy”. It was Vinzenz Brinckmann who ering of transparent surfaces such as glass or the same – light is a metaphor for life. also an affirmation of his own existence. proved with modern methods of investigation reflecting surfaces generating new virtual spaces by means of light.

How does one approach a new piece of work »Light is expansive as a light artist? and elusive – a metaphor Over the years, I have collected a treasury of experience. But it always comes differently. for life.« Sometimes I imagine something and then some- thing better results – or it may be the other way As a viewer one often feels almost drawn in around. My work always begins with a draw- by your works, is that intentional? ing, followed by ideas of how these lines can be The viewers meet themselves in reflection transformed into light, how they reflect on sur- while standing inside the object. It is more than

MARKUS GADIENT HANAKAM & SCHULLER ANGELIKA LODERER VINCENT SZAREK CHRIS GOENNAWEIN LORI HERSBERGER CHARLES MUNKA CLEMENS WOLF PETER JELLITSCH VALENTIN RUHRY

Hottingerstrasse 44, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland Josef-Pirchl-Strasse 10, 6370 Kitzbühel, www.viennaartweek.at

collectorsagenda.com collectorsagenda.com Portrait Collectors Depot Expert Talk with Heinrich Halbe | Halbe-Rahmen x Collectors Agenda

Heinrich Halbe has been working in the family tradition of manufacturing high-quality fram- ing solutions for his entire life. We talked to him about how art should be best presented in collectors’ homes.

Mr. Halbe, to start with, are there some basic parameters to be considered for hanging art? Generally speaking the greatest impact for a piece of art is always assured by presenting it in isolation. A rule of thumb has developed in the art world that a canvas or framed work is best positioned at 1.55 m (5 feet) in height, with its vertical center serving as the reference Established in Pörtschach am Wörthersee, point. Of course, one is always best advised to Collectors Depot showcases the private collec- avoid light sources, such as a brightly lit win- tions of two art collector families. We talked dow or wall spot opposing the art work, which to its appointed director Clemens Gunzer, gal- produces reflections and a silhouette of the lerist from the area, now living in Zurich. viewer, which can distract from the art expe- rience. Collectors Depot surely is more than just an extended storage space for two collectors In most collector homes white wall space who have run out of wall space at home. is scarce. What options exist to present mul- The ‘depot’ consists of two floors. The exhibi- tiple works to great effect? Schumann Photo: © Thorsten tion space is at ground level whereas the base- First of all, I do not want to comment how standard glasses. From a conservation view- ment serves as a storage space that can be ac- pictures should be arranged aesthetically or how point UV-protective glass is an absolute require- cessed through a floor hatch – hence the name. they develop relevant meaning for the collector. ment to preserve an artwork’s genuine pro- The composition is clearly a very individual and perties. The range of filtered UV light varies from What is the respective focus among the two subjective decision. From a formal standpoint, as low as 60% to as high as nearly 100%. The collections? an elegant solution is to line up the artworks downside is that the glass can produce yellow- Both collections focus on contemporary west- side by side along their vertical center point, ish or bluish effects. An additional quality grade ern painting and sculpture. Austrian positions like a string of pearls. This way of hanging does among UV-protective glass options is premium are well represented, among others Lassnig, not require all works to be of the same size or white glass, which is completely color true. West, Zobernig or Hollegha, but also younger using the same frame. In my experience this ones such as Clemens Wolf, Angelika Loderer practically never turns out to be the case anyhow, Some walls will not provide the perfect place or Peter Jellitsch. International artists include as a collection grows over the years. Moreover, for a piece of art behind glass, with reflec- Lori Hersberger, Sarah Morris, George Condo, this “line-up” unfolds its attractive dynamic, par- tions in the glass being unavoidable. How can David Salle, among others. ticularly if the artworks are of different for- these be addressed? 16 mats and different frame types. It is usually If we are talking at the quality level of UV-pro- What is your own role in this venture? best to start with the biggest work as this will tective glass, usually interferential optic glass, I help organize shows, take care of the hanging, determine the viewer’s gaze to a great extent. which increases translucency which reduces liaise with the artists, and, if there is nobody reflections, is employed already by default. An else around, I sweep the floor. (laughs) A much-cited way of hanging is the so- alternative is to use a glass type with a matt called “Petersburg Hanging” or “salon hang- finish, which can inexpensively reduce reflec- How often per year do you organize shows? ing”. What concept is behind the name? tion. Its use is limited though. For example, We had three shows since our opening last The “Petersburg Hanging” has its name from for artworks that are placed in a distance frame February and I think we will be continuing at the opulently covered walls of the Hermitage a matt finish can impact on the sharpness and this pace. in St. Petersburg. It is probably best described contrasts of the work behind glass. as “ordered chaos”: Paintings, drawings, and halbe-rahmen.de Exhibitions draw mainly on works from the prints are randomly arranged next to each other, collections. But you pair them with borrowed covering the wall space, often up to the ceiling. institutional works and works from the pri- Its disorderly impression can have a lot of mary art market. charm and create an intimate atmosphere. This It’s our objective to only present shows at the way of hanging reaches back to the Renais- highest possible level of quality. If a specific sance, but it has recently gained a lot of popula- work is required to complete a show, we work rity, also among institutions for contemporary with art institutions, as we did recently with art. the MMKK Klagenfurt, from whose collection we borrowed two major works by Maria Lassnig. Besides acidity of passe-partouts and other If the ideal piece for a show happens to hang materials used in frames, UV light is still the in a gallery, we get it from there. But most pieces biggest enemy for any piece of wall art. that are presented in shows are not for sale. Today, quality frames use acid-free materials, so this has become less and less a concern. But How well has Collectors Depot been received UV-protection is still not implemented in among the neighboring communities around? The feedback has been very positive. Many told Publisher: Collectors Agenda – C Agenda KG, Franz-Josefs-Kai 3/16, 1010 Vienna Read our stories in full length, Editor in Chief: Florian Langhammer us how surprised they had been to find a space Art Direction & Design: Agnes Wartner, kepler-berlin.de and discover exclusive art editions on Interviews: Florian Langhammer, if not otherwise credited like this in ‘downtown Pörtschach’. Especially on collectorsagenda.com Translation: Uta Hoffmann less sunny days, people appreciate the alterna- Become a subscriber to our Photography: Florian Langhammer, if not otherwise credited All text and images are the property of Collectors Agenda or its content suppliers and tive possibility of going somewhere where they newsletter to be the first to learn protected by international copyright law. Reproduction in whole or part without written about new stories and to receive permission is strictly prohibited. All prices are correct at the time of going to press, can enjoy some fantastic art. collectorsdepot.at but subject to change. No liability for completeness, editorial and technical mistakes, regular Culture Briefings omissions or correctness of the contents. 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