CONTEMPORARY ART FROM LIECHTENSTEIN AND OTHER MICROSTATES

Collateral Event of the 56th International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia

Liechtenstein’s first presence at la Biennale Arte 2015 with young artists from Liechtenstein, Iceland, Luxembourg and Montenegro

24 October – 1 November 2015, 10am – 6pm
Opening: 23 October 2015, 6 pm

Palazzo Trevisan degli Ulivi, Campo
S. Agnese – Dorsoduro 810, Venice
Vaporetto Stop: Zattere / Accademia

Participating Artists

Liechtenstein
Beate Frommelt
Anna Hilti

Iceland
Gabríela Friðriksdóttir
Gunnhildur Hauksdóttir
Anna Fríða Jónsdóttir

Luxembourg 
Karolina Markiewicz & Pascal Piron

Montenegro
Adrijana Gvozdenović
Natalija Vujošević

 

The Liechtenstein art association Kunstverein Schichtwechsel is inviting young artists from the European microstates Iceland, Luxembourg, Montenegro and Liechtenstein to engage in dialogue and work together. Within the framework of the Collateral Event The Silver Lining they will focus on past events and question how these events have shaped their current living situations.

The starting point is Walter Benjamin’s text, On The Concept of History, in which he describes the history of humanity as a “chain of events”, events which retrospectively take on the appearance of a single catastrophe. Despite this growing “pile of debris”, humanity’s desire for progress drives us inexorably, blindly into the future.

Benjamin wrote the text in 1939 at the onset of the Second World War, which forced him to flee as a result of his heritage and led him to commit suicide a year later. His sombre view of the world is challenged by alternative views on events by young artists – events which have inspired them and have positively shaped their lives and the lives of those around them. A particular focus is the influence of coming from or living in a small country. The artists’ subjective and critical perspectives provide a glimpse into life in a microstate and simultaneously address the process of constructing history.

The artists are on site for the duration of the ten-day Collateral Event and will develop their work during this time. They will present their artistic practice within a programme involving short talks, feedback discussions and performances.

The exhibition The Silver Lining, curated by the art association Kunstverein Schichtwechsel, will be housed in the Palazzo Trevisan courtesy of the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, also home to the Salon Suisse.

www.silverlining.li

 

Curators
Kunstverein Schichtwechsel
Laura Hilti, Luis Hilti, Annett Höland, Flurina Seger
www.schichtwechsel.li

Project Management
Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
Friedemann Malsch, Thomas Soraperra
www.kunstmuseum.li

Supported by
Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Education and Culture of the Principality of Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein Marketing
Liechtenstein Cultural Foundation
Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia (providing the exhibition space at the Palazzo Trevisan degli Ulivi)

Press Contact
Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein
pr@kunstmuseum.li
+423 235 03 17
www.kunstmuseum.li