This year’s Focus section of viennacontemporary 2019 will revolve around the question: “What is the understanding of a state that is not based on territory but in time?” Based on the phenomenon “NSK State in Time”, curator Tevž Logar questions the notion that art is represented in the realm of a nation-state.
Created as a conceptual art project in 1992 by the groups comprising the “Neue Slowenische Kunst“ movement (NSK) in response to the political upheavals in Yugoslavia, the “NSK State in Time” without any territory is now the virtual home of over 15,000 citizens worldwide. The state provides citizens with rights of participation that encourage open-ended actions, such as the formulation of their own constitution, currency, educational system, or popular culture.
In the current era of reassertion of fascism and xenophobia,the question of post-nationalism, as posed by the NSK State in Time, is as relevant today as it was when it was founded.
The current Focus presentation can be seen on the one hand as one of the NSK’s open-ended actions directly addressing the mechanisms of the contemporary art system.On the other hand, the presentation revolves around a selection of artists who, through their work, reject the idea of boundaries and thus stimulate critical thinking on topics such as memory, history, and existing geopolitical paradigms.
This year’s Focus presentation of viennacontemporary 2019 is supported by the Igor Zabel Association for Culture and Theory and ERSTE Foundation.
Tevž Logar is an independent curator working with various galleries, institutions, and collections. He was an associate curator and editor at Galerija Gregor Podnar in Berlin, artistic director of the Škuc Gallery in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and a lecturer of 20th Century Art History at the Academy of Visual Arts (AVA), Ljubljana. He lives in Rijeka, Croatia.
Opening hoursThursday, 26 September 2019, Vernissage: 4:00 pm–8:00 pm
Friday, 27 September 2019: 12:00 pm–7:00 pm
Saturday, 28 September 2019: 11:00 am–7:00 pm
Sunday, 29 September 2019: 11:00 am–6:00 pm
Location
Marx Halle
Karl-Farkas-Gasse 19, 1030 Vienna
More information for visitors here.
Cover image: NSK Passport, 1993, courtesy of Tevž Logar, Photo: © NSK / Tevž Logar.
The Curator’s Room (2018) screenings at viennacontemporary 2019
On Friday 27 September at 17:00, the documentary will also be shown in Vienna as part of the viennacontemporary 2019 and its Focus section: NSK State in Time accompanying programme – the latter is curated by Tevž Logar and supported by the Igor Zabel Association for Culture and Theory and ERSTE Foundation.
The film screening will be followed by a Q&A with Urška Jurman, the film’s scriptwriter. More information here.
