Bücher veröffentlicht von VFMK

In her film installations, Isa Rosenberger weaves traces of history - forgotten or marginalised, often feminist and Jewish women's history - into multi-perspectival historiographies in which gaps and voids are constitutive. In the film realisation, Rosenberger uses montage: linguistic and visual, documentary and fictional narrative levels switch, fragment and join up again, always tied in with current issues and discourses.Taking this into account, the exhibition in Kunsthaus Graz is oriented towards the idea of the 'stage' as a performative space, as a space of memory and experience that should be activated. Shadows, Gaps, Voids is Isa Rosenberger's most comprehensive show to date and features six older works and a new piece, a co-production with Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau.

The publication revolves around the polarized nature of the resident-host encounter. The space of residency generated between artist and host leads to the establishment of a temporary community whose "episodic" nature corresponds to the nature of the "postmodern" world. From the perspective of the host, the presence of the artists resembles an episodic plot, where each part - despite the uniqueness of the artistic interventions - is to some extent an open form, in fact, it can be built anew each time. Like film characters, artists assume their roles in subsequent episodes. Creating such a space in a social structure requires trust, openness and a strong sense of empathy, as well as a willingness to share one's resources. From the outset, the editors did not aim to present an analysis of the operation of individual spheres of artist residencies, but rather to compile in dialogue a polyphonic publication that illustrates the nuances of residency work and artists' experiences, as well as the unstable constellations of artist residencies with its open-ended structure. Artist residency programs can serve as a model for dealing with the ever-changing contemporary world and societies. All this makes it possible to fulfill the dream of a world where there is a balance between acceptance and separateness. This world offers authenticity, permanent change and constant transformation.

Keith Sonnier-this name is primarily associated with the light works of the artist, who was born in Louisiana in 1941, in the Deep South of the USA. Since the 1960s, Sonnier has continuously developed works with various light sources, which has decisively shaped the reception of his art to this day. Equally essential, however, is the unbroken and open-minded interest in a wide variety of materials and media. Sonnier has also been engaged in diverse cultures throughout his life, has traveled and created works of art using local handicrafts.The exhibition, comprising around forty works from five decades, and the accompanying publication honor the work of the artist-who died in July 2020-in its diversity and the individual attitude that emerges in it. The English "Lightsome", which can mean 'bright' as well as 'carefree, cheerful', refers not only to Sonnier's art, but also to his person.

300 Zeichnungen / Cartoons stellen Fragen wie "Sind Bäume abends müde?" oder "Isst man im Leben einen ganzen Supermarkt?".Barthaare von Plato, Kant, Nietzsche und Mozart werden gezeigt, ebenso Ameisen im Stress oder der Unterschied zwischen jungem und altem Apfel.Der Zeichner, Christian Heiss, Architekt und Eigentümer des gleichnamigen Architekturbüros Atelier Heiss Architekten, teilt Beobachtungen und stellt solche zentralen Fragen - sind doch fast alle Dinge des Lebens mit der Architektur verbunden.Die Texte, in Englisch und Deutsch verfasst, stammen von ihm, ein Vorwort hat Wojtech Czaja beigetragen.Apropos: Gibt es dicke Elefanten?

The monograph of the artist Eduard Tauss presents the series "Farbkörper" and "Offene Formen", which were created in recent years in an organic and material-gestural formulation. "The paint has freed itself from the pictorial carrier and, by means of its own malleable substance, becomes an expression of itself and serves as the subject of its contemplation in the space." Eduard Tauss' series of works arise in dialogue with or investigation of the material of synthetic resin and are situated in the art-historical context of the "extension of painting." Angela Stief offers a precise and comprehensive examination of his artistic production, while Florian Steininger focuses on Tauss' paintings of "Offene Formen". The essay "Embodying Colour" casts light on the historical ramifications of the term "autonomy of colour," and Manisha Jothady addresses the dissolution of the categorization of artistic genres. Paint which unfolds its organic-sculptural potential and manifests itself as a gesture of material or color.

Since the beginning of mankind, it has interfered with nature and its surface by its very existence, whether by deforestation, planting or by building houses and cities: welcome to the anthropocene!Still nowadays and in our country, an enormous amount of land is sealed every day and thus forever withdrawn from permanent biological production. And no, we will not suddenly stop maximizing our profits and chasing the eternal premise of progress through growth. And no, we will not stop building either! But maybe, there is a way to continue building without causing a higher degree of sealing? Or could it be possible to erect buildings that actually counteract sealing? Freely according to the motto, each additional house reduces the total sealing by a certain value x?In this thesis, existing buildings are analyzed and evaluated for their degree of sealing using an existing tool and a tool developed within the framework of this thesis. The aim of this empirical study is to present prototypes that not only have a sealing-neutral effect, but also a sealing reducing effect, i.e. to develop houses that positively influence the sealing factor of their surroundings simply by their existence: With each of these new houses, our environment becomes a little bit better! To date, there is one determining factor to counteract sealing: the greening factor! In the course of this thesis, it quickly becomes clear that another factor is important: the so-called lift factor, i.e. the elevation of the building from the ground. However, and somehow surprisingly, a third factor is discovered in the end...

The author of the book lovingly calls it a naïve attempt to make the art world a little bit happier. After living and working in the art world for the past fifteen years, Christoph Noe brought pen to paper to gather some thoughts on how to navigate in the culture industry."It first developed foremost as a guide for myself as I continuously challenge the mission that I am on in the art world, asking myself why I am still doing what I am doing. Or sometimes, more dramatically, "If art is used in therapy, why do we almost need therapy when working in the art industry?" With a strong believe in the power of art and cultural creation and over multiple conversations and with the encouragement of my art- world crew, I came to the conclusion that these guidelines can function as a possible motivator, as a collection of thoughts or critical questions not only for myself but also for other people and collaborators working in the scene."Christoph NoeSomewhere in the art world, September 2022

With its 440 photographs, this book, which is unique in its kind, highlights important milestones in the history of music that have also been formative for us. VOICES offers insights into the life stories of artists. Outstanding performers tell us about experiences with their colleagues, renowned personalities in the music and theater scene. And they also give us glimpses into their private realms: making music at home with their families, social backgrounds, and such sensitive themes as setbacks, fears, or long-yearned-for appreciation, and how they found the key to their voices. This impressive volume represents history from 1945 to the present, passed down by way of personal accounts.The texts are based on conversations conducted by Christine Cerletti and Thomas Voigt during the pandemic in 2021/22, or they were written by the artists themselves. Choosing diverse approaches, they outline how the stage can become an emotional space. Their stories are musical history narrated from a personal perspective. The desire to share things is incredibly strong. What remains after the caesura established by the pandemic: (musical) theater is closeness.

On the occasion of the 100th birthday of Erwin Heerich (1922-2004), the Stiftung Insel Hombroich is exhibiting drawings, sculptures, models, built and unbuilt works from its extensive collection. The exhibition conveys the theme of walk-in sculptures in its breadth for the first time and offers insights into the thinking and work of Heerich, who never saw himself as an architect but always as a sculptor.Heerich's linking of art and architecture is evident in clearly contoured, plastically conceived spaces and pavilions that were developed from a consistent sculptural approach and that are both autonomous object and sheltering building on the outside and inside.The exhibition is accompanied by the publication Hundert Jahre Erwin Heerich. Die begehbare Skulptur. In a handy format, it offers an overview of all the walk-in sculptures in Hombroich and presents them in short texts. Photographs by Tomas Riehle and Iwan Baan complement the volume.

Painting, photography, film: A one-woman-production, Patricia Reinhart's artistic work presents itself as multilayered, sensual and poetic. Her art explores femininity as the mystery of being, regarding the self in a simultaneously exploratory, deconstructive and authentic way. In the medium of Ciné Collage, the artist interweaves literature, psychoanalysis, film and art history to create surreal-theatrical tableaus that use subtly-chosen narratives to subvert commonly accepted regimes of power and gaze. In painting, inner and outer abstract spaces touch to form color orgies that depict the universe as an interplay of an infinite number of elementary particles. Patricia Reinhart staging a self-portrait in a photo booth in a public area in Paris, selecting gestures and poses that call her own female identity into question. Oscillating between appropriation and dissolution of the history of visual media and literary models, Patricia Reinhart expands her own analyses, observations, and conceptions of the world in interrelated visual media. This monographic publication includes works from 2015 to 2022 by the artist, who resides in both Paris and Vienna.

What is craft? Skilled craftsmanship, tools, techniques, professions and trades are common notions. But what is craft as myth? The French philosopher Roland Barthes defines the term myth as a specific way of speaking about something, as a carrier of messages. With the collected knowledge of three museums and nuanced essays, authors from a variety of professions trace craft as myth in all its facets. They expertly illuminate aspects of craftsmanship from diverse perspectives and respond to the growing social interest in this topic.

MANFRED MAKRA / MODENA PARK is the current book publication of the Austrian painter. It presents the most important works painted in the years 2019 to 2021 in his Modena Park studio in Vienna. Texts by Karolin Schmidbaur, Bernd Hackl and the galerist and art manager Thomas Mark give an introduction into the image concept and art historical references of the current work cycles and series. With this publication Manfred Makra - who has been active as a fine artist for 40 years - gives us a first impression of his beginning late work and surprises with new visual insights concerning color, line, surface and space. His image concept references basic architectural priciples as well as influences of the aesthetic of Japanese Zen-Buddhism.

"Es gibt viele Dinge, die wir nicht sehen oder nicht wahrnehmen und die uns im Leben dennoch stark beeinflussen." (Winfried Muthesius)Was bedeutet uns Freiheit? Kann sie an Diffamierung grenzen? Wann geraten Gerichte an ihre Grenzen? Stärkt Protest demokratische Freiheitsrechte in Zeiten einer Pandemie? Können wir wieder so vorurteilsfrei werden wie ein Kind? Wie frei ist die Generation der Millenials eigentlich? Werden die Seufzer der Opfer und Täter im Gold lautlos verwahrt? Kann Kunst und Kultur den Menschen besser machen? Was hat Freiheit mit Kreativität zu tun? Diesen Fragen gehen namhafte Autor_innen im Alter von 17 bis 64 Jahren aus ihrer Perspektive nach.Gleichzeitig werden einzelne Schicksale ins Visier genommen. Sieben Porträts erzählen von Menschen, die ihre persönliche Geschichte mit der Herausgeberin geteilt haben und das, was Freisein für sie bedeutet: von der Strafrichterin, über die Blattgold-Beschneiderin bis hin zum Sanitäter.Bereichernd beim Lesen sind Muthesius' Kunstfotografien von seiner Installation "free", die sich durchgängig durch die vorge-stellten Schicksale und Sichtweisen ziehen und Inspiration zum Weiterdenken entfalten. Das Buch ist der Anfang einer Diskussion über Freiheit, die mit allen Interessierten fortgesetzt wird.