Here is a follow-up to the first zhaus article I posted a few days prior.
After some days of sleepless nights, i have finally finished poopooshoping the joiners for zhaus: the living room exhibition. Sometimes i feel as if i muscle pixels around for hours, just to get some extra interestingness on flickr and provide some twinkle-twinkle to the normally drab candor that occurs on this weblog, but I digress…
The opening of the show featured quite an intellectually digestible lecture regarding the Turkish Diaspora within Vienna and how various case studies within the community show correlations in identity towards Turkish or western homogonous culture based on the way Turkish Austrians decorate their living spaces and the items of art they choose to display and contextualize themselves with.
The living room is a place where one goes to relax, but it is also identified as a place of social meeting; where one would entertain guests. The art items that are chosen to be displayed in a host’s home provides a situation with which the guest may observe the socio-cultural context or displacement of the host. It’s kinda like putting away that funny looking vase of yours; you know, the one with no flowers in it, when your parents come to visit, because you don’t want your mom and dad associating funny looking vases filled halfway with water and no flowers in them as your own personal flair for interior design.
Along with a lecture for the opening, there was also screenings of videos from participating artists and much of the work was observed in the company of friends and colleagues. At the closing, another zhaus artist spun electro records cross-legged while sitting on a pillow.
Because of the nature of the concept, the gallery space and living space were intermingled, and I often found myself shifting seamlessly from conversations of an artistic nature, to didactic discussions, small talk, etc. never once shedding the feeling of being at a friends place for a party that focused on art in various social, political and cultural contexts, and the consuming of wine. Designers like beer more, apparently. Or was that sekt? I met many intriguing people in those three days.
There were three main rooms that housed all the artworks; the living room, dinning room and toilet, or WC. The bathing room was not available to the public.
And like any home I am comfortable in, I spent most of the time during the opening and closing in the kitchen, close to the booze and cheese supplies… i mean supervise… to supervise the booze and cheese supplies.
Trying very hard to not sound like an alcoholic (but seriously, I’m not) zhaus has been a success of an exhibition in every sense of the word. Not only did the show facilitate a multidisciplinary collection of works and discussions, but also provided a platform for people to freely exchange ideas and email addresses, while fusing the characteristics of both the home and gallery space.
Since zhaus is an international phenomenon, I encourage you to get hold of the zhaus people through their webpage and organize an exhibition of your own when situations allow, in your respective city. I can already think of some super creative peeps i know in toronto that may be interested in the potential to organize using a self-directing, thematic, international exhibition concept. There is already a standardized publication format that you can use and modularly add your zhaus documentation to, contributing to the existing publication. Pretty much roll your own with a tinge of cult identity.
I hope to be able to contribute my skills and eventually make live a weblog and forum for zhaus, depending on the reception and response of the community, and hopefully get one going in berlin when the time is right.
I look forward to participating in the next zhaus:vienna some time this summer, and big ups to Mimi and Karin for organizing such a splendid and creative forum.
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