Highlights of viennacontemporary: STATEMENT and ZONE1

With Austria’s leading art fair, viennacontemporary, quickly approaching, Artsper is here to break down some of the highlights for you. This fair, taking place September 7-10th at the Kursalon Vienna, is unique in the way it bridges the art worlds of Western and Eastern Europe. In addition to a dynamic collection of contemporary artwork, artist talks and guided tours, visitors can check out the STATEMENT and ZONE1 features of the fair. VCT STATEMENT will host a panel discussion that intersects contemporary art, societal practice and political development. ZONE1 is an exhibition space dedicated to emerging young artists. We’re here to tell you more about these exciting features that you don’t want to miss!

STATEMENT: Political Homelessness and Contemporary Citizenship

This year, the STATEMENT panel discussion speakers will explore the topic: “Political Homelessness and Contemporary Citizenship.” The hosts will use this vital platform to examine the role of belonging in contemporary Europe, as it is home to millions of migrants from Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans and beyond. Speakers will ponder questions such as “How can individuals make their voices heard in a country that isn’t quite their own? Does the lack of political rights drive our communities apart, and can arts and culture serve as the binding agent to mend these divisions?” Don’t miss this intriguing panel discussion on September 6th! 

ZONE1

viennacontemporary’s ZONE1 exhibition space will feature young and emerging artists, all chosen by Francesca Gavin, an accomplished curator in the contemporary art world. Gavin is the Editor-in-Chief of the biannual publication EPOCH and has co-curated exhibitions at Palais de Tokyo, Somerset House, and was the founding curator of the Soho House collection which featured over 3,000 works. The talented curator has selected an exclusive group of artists under the age of 40 who live, work, or have been educated in Austria. The ZONE1 exhibition has been an exciting feature of viennacontemporary since 2015, and this year will be no different. Today, Artsper is here to introduce you to some of the featured artists!

Assunta Abdel Azim Mohamed | Galerie Ernst Hilger

Assunta Abdel Azim Mohamed will exhibit her intricate ballpoint pen drawings, which illustrate interpersonal relationships and everyday human interactions in surreal settings. A former student of graphic arts and printmaking in Vienna, the artist often references symbols of art history, popular culture, death and pain in her artwork.

Anthony Akinbola | Galerie Krinzinger

Anthony Akinbola uses a variety of materials to abstract elements from the social and natural world and comment on global consumption and the commodification of culture. The artist currently lives and works in New York where he constantly mitigates the space between abstraction and representation in his artwork. 

Brishty Alam | WONNERTH DEJACO

Brishty Alam combines properties of scientific structures such as chemical structure and reactions with social, cultural, or political processes in her magical and shape-shifting artworks. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna with a degree in Natural Sciences, Alam will exhibit her adaptive and conversational work in the ZONE1 space. 

Irina Lotarevich | SOPHIE TAPPEINER

Irina Lotarevich’s sculptures, or spatial narratives, use materials of both high and low value and reference architecture, bureaucracy, labor, and parts of her body. The Academy of Fine Arts of Vienna graduate creates sculptures with wood, metal, and casting techniques with an added layer of written expression. 

Elisabeth Molin | Sharp Projects

Elisabeth Molin uses a variety of media in her artworks, including objects, videos, photographs and are presented through performance, installation and writing. The Danish artist explores the uncanny and uneasy moments, often with a subtle and unexpected sense of humor.

Matthias Noggler | Layr

Matthias Noggler paints figures that appear to be both actively moving and remaining still at the same time, causing the viewer to question the act of seeing. The Austrian artist often references past art movements and for example, his latest painting series explores modernist political painting.

Christiane Peschek | ALBA

Christiane Peschek will exhibit her series OASIS in this year’s ZONE1 space. The physical and virtual space of OASIS represents a potential sanctuary of nonbinary, value-free and inclusive living. The Austrian artist explores a space between different realms of existence, the digital world and material space.

Laura Põld | Kogo

Laura Põld creates crafts and sculptures that explore environmental history, fundamental human skills, and needs. The artist focuses on materials such as ceramics and tufting and their ability to preserve stories, memories, and skills. Her larger constructions and installations often take over their spaces and contexts. 

Katharina Schilling | house of spouse

Katharina Schilling’s paintings incorporate languages and techniques from moments in art history to create new contexts and meanings. She uses images, objects, and symbols in a playful painterly fashion, often revealing a fantastical potential of art history.

Julia Znoj | Windhager von Kaenel

Julia Znoj uses a variety of materials such as metals, plastics, papers and found objects in combination with her own writing, music and videos. The Vienna-based artist explores form, abstraction, and temporality in her sculptures.

Don’t miss this fair!

If we hadn’t yet convinced you to attend the viennacontemporary art fair, we hope we have now with this explanation of the STATEMENT and ZONE1 features! We can’t wait to see you at the Kursalon Vienna, September 7-10th!