Contemporary Art
Founded in 1844, the Salzburger Kunstverein is an Austrian institution dedicated to contemporary art and its discourse. With exhibitions and performances, as well as a residency program that supports artists, curators, and writers, the Salzburger Kunstverein offers a space for reflection, discussion, and social development.
The 2024 programme “Chronic Contradictions”
The 2024 programme “Chronic Contradictions” deals with the complex interplay between the health and climate crises. The aim of the programme is to explore the role of art in promoting societal healing and resilience and to offer artistic perspectives that can inspire hope or bring relief.
Vasilis Papageorgiou „Sunseekers or Dimming the Sun or“
02 March – 28 April 2024
In his solo exhibition “Sunseekers or Dimming the Sun or”, Vasilis Papageorgious challenges the paradigms of capitalist pleasure and planetary exhaustion. The exhibition reflects the cyclical nature of work and leisure with a poetic allusion to the beach as a metaphor for enjoyment. At the same time, Jeamin Cha’s exhibition “Freeze Response” explores the political aspects of health, using video and performance to challenge narratives about well-being.
Myth Normal: Chronic Contradictions
09 May – 30 June 2024
The Salzburger Kunstverein presents the group exhibition “The Myth of Normal: Chronic Contradictions”, which was conceived in collaboration with the Kunstverein Hannover. This exhibition is linked to the Kunstverein Hannover’s exhibition “The Myth of Normal: On Ability and Indulgence” and functions as a twin exhibition in exploring the standards of ‘normality’ in relation to health and societal expectations, inspired by the insights of Dr. Gabor Maté. The Salzburger Kunstverein shows works by Cat Chong, Jeamin Cha, Itamar Gov, Anastasia Sosunova, Imogen Stidworthy and Julia Zöhrer. In addition to the exhibition, the performance series “When the Body Says Yes”, co-produced by the two art associations, explores the facets of the human body’s abilities through works by Benoît Piéron and Perel.
Performance – Reihe „Smart Nursing“
June – August 2024
In der Performance-Reihe „Smart Nursing“ wird der Wandel hin zur digitalen Pflege erforscht. Liesel Burisch, Ania Nowak und Anna Witt setzen sich mit Pflegepraktiken mit besonderem Augenmerk auf deren Auswirkungen in Österreich auseinander.
The summer exhibition “echo*”
July 12 – September 8
The summer exhibition “echo*” combines the artistic practices of Sung Tieu and Martin Beck. This joint presentation creates a space in which the resonance of sound meets the solidity of the institutional structure. A key element of the exhibition is a collaborative sound environment that envelops the space of the Kunstverein. In addition, Tieu and Beck are researching the life cycle of materials that construct our environment, thus fueling the dynamic between repetition and renewal.
At the same time, Philipp Fleischmann’s exhibition “Flashes of Resilience” deals with the interplay between visual art and film. The exhibition features a 735 cm long film sculpture that runs at 18 frames per second and explores the possibilities of queer abstraction.
„The Color of Energy“
September 21 – November 24 – Salzburger Kunstverein
September 12 – September 15 – Messe Vienna, Hall D
“The Color of Energy” explores our entanglements with sun and wind as well as with oil, coal, gas and metals, and shows how the different intensity and movement of energy connects politics and cultures.
Co-produced by VTC Statement / viennacontemporary and the Salzburger Kunstverein, “The Color of Energy” is an exhibition that explores together in two different locations how energy colors our past, present and future. Assuming that the primary colors of energy are geopolitics, technology, and people, this exhibition reflects on the often overlooked energy flows that are essential for understanding the dynamics of today’s world. The exhibition moves within a chromatic score in which energy does not have a single hue, but presents itself in a spectrum of differently desaturated colors.
The Annual Exhibition
14 December 2024 – 2 February 2025
The annual exhibition is traditionally reserved for members of the Kunstverein and this year is curated by Hana Ostan Ožbolt. At the same time, we are showing an exhibition by Luz Olivares Capelle, the winner of the 2023 Sponsorship Award of the State of Salzburg and the Salzburger Kunstverein, at Studio Space.
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