22 Jan 2016

Everything in nature has a lyrical essence, a tragic fate, a comic existence at Kunsthalle Exnergasse Vienna

Everything in nature has a lyrical essence, a tragic fate, a comic existence

Participating artists:
Mounira Al Solh | Riccardo Giacconi | Sara Jordenö | Alice Kok | Mladen Miljanović | Jirí Skála | Pavel Sterec and Vasil Artamonov


February 11, 2016, 6:30 pm: Open conversation with artist Riccardo Giacconi (in English)

March 4, 2016, 6:30 pm: Finissage - One Family of Objects, after the book - performance by Jirí Skála

Curated by Valerio Del Baglivo

Everything in nature has a lyrical essence, a tragic fate, a comic existence is neither a historical exhibition nor an exhibition about history. It is rather an anthology of existences of non-illustrious men otherwise destined to historical oblivion – existences united with each other by the intrinsic banality (and nevertheless familiarity) of the narrated facts. The exhibition examines the importance of minor narratives inherent in an underground network of feelings, memories, and desires of often ignored lives and explores the role of the artist as a biographer of ordinary men. Ranging formally from documentary to semi-fictional accounts, re-enactments of personal facts, and narrations of memories and dreams, the exhibition addresses the dilemma of every writer: What are the most meaningful moments of an entire existence, which are worth being handed down?

Like every worthy narration, this exhibition has a starting point: two books that refer with invariable differences to the genre of biography: Giuseppe Pontiggia's Lives of Non-Illustrious Men (1993), an anthology of short biographies of fictional characters, and Michel Foucault's The Life of Infamous Men (1977), a collection of short descriptions of the lives of vicious men who have been interned. What associates the two books is the 'non-fame' of the characters described: obscured men that don't leave any traces because they are 'not equipped of any of the predetermined and recognized greatness, those of birth, fortune, genius or heroism' (Foucault). Building upon these suggestive references, the exhibition aims to metaphorically continue this narration. However, from a conceptual point of view, Everything in nature has a lyrical essence, a tragic fate, a comic existence introduces a significant difference: rather than replicating the passive and documentary biographical style (perpetuated by both Foucault and Pontiggia) the selected artists conceive various types of stratagem, tricks and jokes to render these lives memorable.

The immanent qualities of these stories force the artists to take part in them: they spend time with the protagonists (Mounira Al Solh), they stimulate the characters to invent their imaginary biographies (Sara Jordenö), they establish mutual relationships with their characters (Vasil Artamonov and Pavel Sterec), they give voice to their unrealised intentions (Riccardo Giacconi), they play them (Mladen Miljanović), they help them to find their lost affects (Alice Kok), and finally, they construct their narratives with the protagonists (Jirí Skála). And the encounter between the artist and his/her character always touches the existence of both protagonists on a personal level.

Everything in nature has a lyrical essence, a tragic fate, a comic existence is like a novel: It reveals different plots composed of accounts of real facts as well as embellished or altered aspects. In this sense, the audience is led into a never-ending story, where a selection of details – from the seemingly banal to the potentially revelatory – are glued together into fragile and strangely intimate portraits of ordinary men.