28 Feb 2020

'everything you've ever wanted is on the other side of the planet' AIL Vienna

Artists:
Yu Araki, Oscar Cueto, Tetsugo Hyakutake, Kyun-Chome, Michikazu Matsune, Yoshinori Niwa, Lisl Ponger, Almut Rink, Motoyuki Shitamichi, Kota Takeuchi, Kay Walkowiak, Pan Lu and Bo Wang, Zheng Yuan

Curator: Hitomi Hasegawa

everything you've ever wanted is on the other side of the planet
-After 150 Years of Diplomatic Relations Between Austria and Japan

Current Coronavirus outbreak triggers xenophobic incidents and racism against Chinese and Asian people in Europe and everywhere. Discrimination and racism make people abuse Others since the colonial time.
Last year, Japan and Austria had a celebration of 150 years of diplomatic relations, it symbolises the friendship and long-term exchange between these two different countries. The starting point of the 150-year relationship between Austria and Japan was the Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation of 1869. The Crown Princess of Japan visited Vienna and many festive cultural events and exhibitions relating to Japan were held. Despite this friendly celebration, this treaty perfected the unequal conditions that existed between Japan and other Western countries, due to the most-favoured-nation treatment that Japan gave to other nations.

Following this memorial year, this exhibition focuses on the conflicting sentiments towards foreignness, political identity and post-colonial or post-war issues from the late 19th century to today. This project also deals with how artists interpret desire, passion and love for foreign cultures, artefacts and lands. Indeed, both are polarized emotions and reactions towards other cultures. These are many things in many ways that we want from other side of the planet.

Some people become obsessed, even manic in their appreciation of other cultures. It is generally these people who encourage mutual understanding between different countries, although issues of representation and ownership become apparent in such international exchanges as well. On the other hand, as this unfair treaty represents, desire and craving for others and their prosperity often result in exploitation and vandalism. The works of art in this exhibition can be understood as representations of how artists respond to power imbalances in international relationships under the post-colonial and neo-colonial conditions, and drastically different social and class backgrounds.
The subjects of the works do not only cover Austria and Japan, but include different regions, such as Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, China and the United States.

Opening performances (on 31st March 2020)
Oscar Cueto, Michikazu Matsune, Gerhard Senz

Artist talks
by Bo Wang (on 1st April, 1pm)
by Kyun-Chome and Kota Takeuchi (on 4th April, 2pm)

More info: www.ailab.at/upcoming/everything-youve-ever-wanted-is-on-the-other-side-of-the-planet-after-150-years-of-diplomatic-relations-between-austria-and-japan/

Supported by: Pola Art Foundation, Austrian Federal Chancellery, Franz Josefs Kai 3 sponsored by Franziska and Christian Hausmaninger, Angewandte Innovation Laboratory, MIACA, Moving Image Archive of Contemporary Art