BALLAST | EXISTENZ (H13 Award)2020Kunstraum Niederösterreich, Vienna, AT

“Who has to, who is allowed to, who can deliver performance, especially in times of the COVID-19 pandemic? Or in other words: Who can perform?  Julischka Stengele addresses the ambiguity of the term “performance”: performance as a guiding economic concept in society and performance as a medium in art.  Her award-winning project BALLAST | EXISTENZ  deals with the representation of certain social groups who are often framed as being a burden for both economy and society - especially since the Covid-19 crisis. Stengele focuses on the ongoing devaluation of those bodies who are not willing or able to conform to the overwhelming demands of capitalism today. She draws parallels between contemporary debates about productivity and worthiness, fascistic ideologies of the “healthy” capable body and the permanent exploitation of human resources and links this to the current situation characterized by the Covid19 pandemic.  Because in the end, it all comes back to one question: Who is dispensable?”

Performance, solo exhibition and award ceremony of the H13 Lower Austria Prize for Performance.
Curated by Katharina Brandl.

(More) Photos: eSeL.at - Lorenz Seidler
More info on www.kunstraum.net


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