BACK TO NATURE - From the White Cube to the forest. An exhibition in two parts. May 16-25, 2024

BACK TO NATURE - From the White Cube to the forest. An exhibition in two parts.

by Andreas Schlichtner, Rica Fuentes Martinez, Ol'ga Paštéková & Rooming Inn

The idea of showing an exhibition in a White Cube and then also in a forest gives the opportunity to tell different stories about the works on display. 28 artists are participating in this exhibit which will take place in the city of Vienna and for one day in the Vienna woods.

Brian O'Doherty wrote the famous essay "Inside the White Cube" in 1976, in which he described the magic of an enclosed, white-painted art space and compared it to a cathedral. Although he also criticized the White Cube, he saw no alternative to it. His comments were certainly influenced by the site-specificity of Minimal Art of the 1960s, which saw the art space as part of the work of art (Judd, Serra, Andre).

At this time there were also numerous famous land art projects and works in public spaces that also made the place part of the work of art (Heizer, Smithson, Morris). And performance pioneers like Valie Export, Marina Abramović and Ana Mendieta chose specific locations for their performances. Artists creating Happenings, both activist and political, incorporated space and location into their work.

These two exhibitions are an examination of the concepts of place and nature, even if the artists are completely free to choose which works and media they show.

With BACK TO NATURE we want to focus on a shared experience, an experience that gains energy and excitement through the prospect of another, completely different exhibition than usual. White Cube versus forest - What will that be like?

The exhibition in the forest almost fell through. A big thunderstorm with rain and hail came and it was cold. But there was a happy ending! We found refuge in the Ottakring forest school, right next to the Jubiläumswarte. We were able to hold our exhibition there. At the end the sun even came out again.