Kostis Velonis, At the End of Demonstration Day, 2009
Wood, acrylic
Dimensions variable
Wood, acrylic
Dimensions variable
The concept of freedom is constantly changing. This exhibition charts its psychological, cultural, religious, political and legal evolution against the backdrop of historical developments, to arrive at a contemporary understanding of what freedom means. Works by more than fifty artists shed light on this complex issue from various angles.
With its overlapping themes and cross-references, the exhibition weaves a tapestry of interdependencies and reciprocal influences between the individual and society, democracy and the economy, work and leisure, body and mind, nature and culture. Freedom is always relative to other factors and so has to be constantly renegotiated. For instance, one part of the exhibition looks at different forms of state governance that shape the community, while another area addresses the control of information as a crucial instrument of power. Some of the works highlight the fragility of freedom, while others explore identity-defining processes such as work. The public space is also the subject of some of the works. All in all, what emerges clearly is that the autonomy of the individual invariably goes hand in hand with social responsibility.
With works by Zbynĕk Baladrán, Dara Birnbaum, Jordi Colomer, Carola Dertnig, Simon Dybbroe Møller, Harun Farocki, Karin Ferrari, Forensic Oceanography, John Gerrard, Johannes Gierlinger, Lola Gonzàlez, Johan Grimonprez, Igor Grubić, Eva Grubinger, Marlene Haring, Hiwa K, Leon Kahane, Šejla Kamerić, Alexander Kluge, Nina Könnemann, Laibach, Lars Laumann, Luiza Margan, Teresa Margolles, Isabella Celeste Maund, Anna Meyer, Aernout Mik, Matthias Noggler, Josip Novosel, Julian Oliver, Trevor Paglen, Christodoulos Panayiotou, Ivan Pardo, Oliver Ressler, Lili Reynaud-Dewar, Ashley Hans Scheirl, Christoph Schlingensief, Andreas Siekmann, Eva Stefani, Superflex, Pilvi Takala, Philipp Timischl, Milica Tomić, Betty Tompkins, Amalia Ulman, Kostis Velonis, Kara Walker, Stephen Willats, Anna Witt, Hannes Zebedin, Zentrum für politische Schönheit, Tobias Zielony and Artur Żmijeweski.
Curated by Severin Dünser.
THE VALUE OF FREEDOM
19 September 2018 to 10 February 2019
Belvedere 21
Arsenalstrasse 1 1030 Vienna
