The Kunsthalle Krems to Show Works From the Migros Museum for Contemporary Art

Written by Gregor Fassbinder Wednesday, 16 November 2011 02:07

Krems, Austria.- The Kunsthalle Krems is proud to present "Time to Act! – Works From the Migros Museum for Contemporary Art Zurich", on view at the museum from November 27th through February 19th 2012. Since its foundation in 1996 the Migros Museum for Contemporary Art has been a space for reflection and production. Contemporary art here is explicitly embedded in a societal and social context. For the first time in Austria a large part of the core of this 500-work collection will be shown. The extensive Kunsthalle Krems exhibition on the topic of ‘social action’ will consist solely of items from the Migros Museum.

The artworks prompt discussion on future-oriented value creation, sustainability, global justice and social responsibility, principles that are also part of Migros’s corporate philosophy. Not only is Migros the biggest Swiss retail trader, it is one of the best-known private sponsors in the areas of culture, society, education, leisure and business.


The exhibition brings together works by 43 artists from the late 1960s until today, all of whom reflect different forms of political action through their artistic practice. The starting point is the artist as a political activist, who analyzes with the tools of research, participation, the performative and the appropriation of his actions. The works are designed to stimulate discussion on sustainability, global justice and social responsibility. Our consumption patterns reflect the scarcity of resources, a dilemma highlighted in works by Katharina Sieverding, Josephine Meckseper and Gianni Motti. Describing a range of actions rooted in politica are pieces by Christoph Büchel, Cady Noland and Gilbert & George. Alighiero Boetti uses cartography to represent the politics of nationhood, while Lothar Baumgarten questions the democratic processes.

The manipulation of the media is deconstructed by Anne-Lise Coste and Phil Collins. Jonathan Horowitz, Noritoshi Hirakawa and Piotr Uklanski characterize the formation of identity by the news. Jens Haaning, Stephen Willats, Christine Borland, Mathilde ter Heijne and Marc Camille Chaimowicz address issues of group politics and the Nazi past. Maurizio Cattelan's sculpture "We are the Revolution" along with works by Darboven, Elmgreen & Dragset, Tom Burr and Bruce Nauman consider, the conditions of artistic practice as self-image. Other artists featured in the exhibition include Eustachy Kossakowski, Babette Mangolte, Christian Philipp Müller, Stefan Burger, San Keller, Spartacus Chetwynd, Jan Dibbets, Gabríela Fridriksdóttir, Daniel Knorr, Bernhard Luginbuhl, Fabian Marti, Steve McQueen, Juan Muñoz, Elodie Pong, Ed Ruscha, Markus Schinwald, Hanna Schwarz, and Andy Warhol.

The Kunsthalle Krems is an international exhibition house in the Federal State of Lower Austria. Its programme spans 19th-century art, classical modernism and contemporary art, its main focus being on 20th and 21st-century art. The Kunsthalle Krems contributes importantly to the European art-exhibiting scene, dedicating itself to modernist masters generally considered well-known and to international artists rarely exhibited in Austria. Both Austrian and international contemporary art is intensively treated in solo and thematic exhibitions. Central to the exhibition philosophy is a networked synopsis of old and new, opening up exciting perspectives and new paths of access. Unusual groupings are vividly presented, complex viewpoints adopted, confrontation deliberately sought. The presentation of works comprises various genres and styles in ways that bridge art historical epochs. Connections to contemporary art are constantly being sought. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.kunsthalle.at

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