TIME RACE - May 23 and 24, 2025 - From the dawn of the late 1960s to the present. Positions on architecture, form, and time.
Fotocredit: photo courtesy of Art Collection Schlichtner
TIME RACE
From the dawn of the late 1960s to the present. Positions on architecture, form, and time.
ARTISTS: Walter Michael Pühringer (ZÜND-UP) / Gottfried Höllwarth / Christian Eisenberger / Bettina Schülke / Begi Guggenheim / Patryck Chan /
CURATED BY: Andreas Schlichtner
______________________________________________________________________________
Registration is requested.
OPEN: Friday and Saturday, May 23 and 24, 2025 / 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.
LOCATION: Studio Schülke, Zieglergasse 75, 1070 Vienna, second courtyard
__________________________________________________________________________________
Time, like space and form, serves to describe what happens in the world. And: "Not everything is possible at all times," wrote Heinrich Wölfflin in 1915, the very year that Kazimir Malevich exhibited the famous "Black Square," which symbolized the end and new beginning in art, at the Dobytčina Gallery in Petrograd.
Today, many of us still believe that works of art should be never seen before creations and not merely exceptional. This idea probably stems from our awareness of striking positions in art history that emerged during major upheavals or an atmosphere of renewal. In the contemporary and postmodern movements that followed the avant-gardes and modernism, however, the new thing was, that in a broad movement everything became possible – “anything goes”. Contemporary art and Postmodernism, as a whole, is therefore new and unique.
But all movements were concerned with the present, with time, embedded in the past and the future. The question is whether art was seen as a movement “against time" or “with time" or defined itself as such.
In our exhibition TIME RACE, we present works that, driven by a spirit of criticism of the then-present postwar modernism, turned against the times; works that found their foundation in the spirit of optimism of the time and, so to speak, moved with the times; and works that, given the artists' year of birth, cannot be considered avant-garde or the result of a spirit of optimism at all. This, of course, does not diminish their value, for the positions presented always point beyond themselves and reflect the events of their time.
__________________________________________________________________________________
WALTER MICHAEL PÜHRINGER (born 1945 in Lambach)
ZÜND-UP, the legendary artist and architect group founded in 1969, is represented in our exhibition by Walter Michael Pühringer. The group explored alternative models of ways of thinking during the Woodstock era and the Vietnam War. They caused a stir with their study project "The Great Vienna Auto-Expander." Pühringer's "life's work" is the project "Peace Connection Mostar 3000." This project involves the planned construction of a sculpture over the famous Mostar Bridge in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Exhibitions: Centre Georges-Pompidou Paris, Whitney Museum New York, Victoria and Albert Museum London, Lentos Linz, mumok Vienna, and Architekturzentrum Wien, 6th Venice Biennale of Architecture. Lives and works in Vienna.
GOTTFRIED HOELLWARTH (born 1945 in Salzburg)
The sculptor Gottfried Hoellwarth took advantage of the rapid progress of the 1960s, with the emergence of Pop Art, chrome-plated facades and devices, and seriality and modularity, in many ways. Gottfried Hoellwarth combines natural form, aesthetics, and engineering precision, working primarily in metal and stone. He was the life partner of the artist Isolde Joham, who died in 2022. He was professor at the University of Arts Linz. Exhibitions: Museum Würth Künzelsau, 5th Beijing Art Biennale, Kunstpalast Düsseldorf. Lives and works in Hainfeld.
CHRISTIAN EISENBERGER (born 1978 in Semriach)
Christian Eisenberger's work is associated with a spirit of experimentation and chance, a serial approach, surprising ideas, and a diverse selection of materials. Ephemerality also plays a role in his land art works. His works defy categorization and question the art market. Like no other artist, Christian Eisenberger creates works with a multifaceted contextualization and emotional experience. Exhibitions: Kunsthalle Gießen, Künstlerhaus Graz, Künstlerhaus Vienna, Kunsthalle Krems, mumok Vienna, Wien Museum MUSA, Leopold Museum Vienna, Lentos Linz, Galerie Krinzinger Vienna, Galerie Martinez Cologne. Lives and works in Vienna, Salzburger Land, and Styria.
BETTINA SCHÜLKE (born 1967 in St. Pölten)
Our host, Bettina Schülke, works at the interface of art and science. She is a pioneer in exploring how artists and scientists can collaborate. Bettina Schülke's work is context- and research-oriented, often using textile media. Exhibitions include the 8th Austrian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the 2nd Thessaloniki Biennale, the MAK Museum Vienna, and the De Windelhaak Design Museum Antwerp, Gallery Petra Seiser, PARALLEL Vienna. She lives and works in Vienna and Herzogenburg.
BEGI GUGGENHEIM (born 1977 in Tbilisi)
The sculptor's work is characterized by a distinctive morphology. Technologically-modern approaches meet extremely contemporary aspects. His figures are often reminiscent of cyborgs. Trashy elements meet precise elaboration. Objects trouvés often are the formative elements of his sophisticated compositions. Exhibitions: Gallery Petra Seiser, Büro Weltausstellung Vienna, PARALLEL Vienna, Künstlerhaus Vienna. Lives and works in Vienna.
PATRYCK CHAN (born 1978 in Linz)
The artist works with photography, digital media, and architecture. Through the deconstruction of digital photographs, reassembly, and overpainting, highly sophisticated and aesthetic collages are created. Exhibitions: PARALLEL Vienna, Art Collection Schlichtner Vienna, Gallery Frank Vienna. Lives and works in Vienna.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Keywords: Never Seen Before vs. Exceptional / Post-War Modernism / Pop Art / Contemporary / Spirit of Optimism / Aspects of Transition / Critisism