06 Apr 2016

Working Knowledge at IG Bildende Kunst, Vienna

Opening: 11. April 2016, 19:00
Performance by Jen Noh

Exhibition:
12. April 2016 - 27. May 2016
IG BILDENDE KUNST
Gumpendorfer Straße 10-12,
1060 Vienna, Austria

Participating artists: Julia Amelie, Pawel Szostak, Mara Novak, Jen Noh,
Thomas Wagensommerer

Curated by Nika Kupyrova

The exhibition is presented within the framework of a cooperation between Galerie IG Bildende Kunst and the class of TransArts, University of Applied Art in Vienna


'Working knowledge' is the term commonly used to identify foreign language proficiency: although enough to 'work,' it is often perceived as lacking, not fluent. And yet, the deficiencies of language distort the information intake and lay open the language structure, allowing us to see the language in the making.

The first ideas for this project came about during the workshop by the Liverpool-based artist and Documenta 12 participant Imogen Stidworthy. Her works, such as 'The Whisper Heard', juxtaposing a child of three learning a language with a person with aphasia, who lost the ability to speak due to a stroke and has to construct the language anew, brought about the discussion about the function and creation of language and helped formulate interests shared by many in the class of TransArts. 'When the language is not working you find out how language works' claims Stidworthy – and indeed the artistic positions in this exhibition are about the failure of language, whether it is a failure of a dialogue, a failure of translation, or a failure to interpret.

A project realized within the framework of 'Un_University: TransArts platform on forms of teaching and learning', 'Working knowledge' finds common ground with some of the issues raised in the forum. As 'Un_University' takes a critical look at academic formats of learning within the art context, it also contemplates the imperfection of learning as a method in itself.