M_ARS

Opening: Friday, January 10th 2003, 11.30am
Curators: Peter Weibel, Günther Holler-Schuster

On the basis of Freud's famous writings "Civilisation and its Discontents" (1930) and "Why War" (1933) the aim is to put together an exhibition of contemporary art that investigates into why the process of advancing cultural development and civilisation is again interrupted by groups of people, religions or nations prepared to ruthlessly destroy others. After two World Wars in the twentieth century, we have for decades in Europe cherished the illusion that there will be no more chance for wars to arise in future. We are all the more surprised to find that hot spots of war have not only frequently emerged all over the world, but equally so in Europe, and that Europe itself is drawn into - and allows itself to be drawn into - wars time and again.

Based upon these facts we must ask ourselves whether Freud's dictum is in fact still valid: "Whatever makes for cultural development is also working against war. "Can cultural development itself not have inherent aspects that promote a willingness to wage war? Can it be that art itself has not only pacifistic but also military intentions? Can it be that art is not only a platform for humanitarian agendas but also for violence against human beings and for injustice? This exhibition not only intends to provide a very topical synopsis of the critical state of our society but also to present a critical examination of art within this society. In view of the fact that the selected examples not only depict the psychological and social changes brought about by war but also above all the media-based processes involved (war of images, war of information), this exhibition equally contributes to differentiating between crisis, war and art. The crisis of the media and the crisis of society are reflected in the crisis of art.
 

Catalogue
ISBN: 3-7757-1312-3, Hatje-Cantz Publishers

Artists

Simone Aaberg Kærn, Denmark
Fernando Alvim, Angola
Carlos Amorales, Mexico
Art in Ruins, Great Britain
Michael Aschenbrenner, USA
Fiona Banner , Great Britain
Mercedes Barros, Brazil
Yael Bartana, Israel
Elke Baulig, Germany
Vanessa Beecroft, USA
Sue de Beer, USA
Marc Bijl, Netherlands
Martin Boyce, Great Britain
Olaf Breuning, Switzerland
Glenn Brown, Great Britain
Chris Burden, USA
Heather Burnett, Great Britain
Luis Camnitzer, Germany / Uruguay / USA
Jake & Dinos Chapmanrn, Great Britain
Sue Coe, USA
Jordan Crandall, USA
Chris Cunningham, Great Britain
Chen Danqing, China
Jiri David, Czech Republic
Tacita Dean, Great Britain
Lucinda Devlin, USA
Veronika Dreier, Austria
Marces Dzama, USA
Ray and Charles Eames, USA
Manfred Erjautz, Austria
Wolfgang Ernst, Austria
Jon Mikel Euba, Spain
Graham Fagen, Great Britain
Belu-Simion Fainaru, Israel
Harun Farocki, Czech Republic / Germany
Parastou Forouhar, Iran
Paul Garrin, USA
Kendell Geers, South Africa
Leon Golub, USA
Martin Gostner, Austria
G.R.A.M., Austria
Stanley Greene, USA
Johan Grimonprez, Belgium
Al Hansen, USA
Mona Hatoum, Lebanon
Mathilde ter Heijne, Netherlands
Damien Hirst, Great Britain
Jenny Holzer, USA
Felix Stephan Huber, Switzerland
IRWIN, Slovenia
Cameron Jamie, USA
Gavin Jantjes, South Africa
John Keane, Great Britain
Martin Kippenberger, Germany
Linda Kitson, Great Britain
Franticek Klossner, Switzerland
Andree Korpys / Markus Löffler, Germany
Richard Kriesche, Austria
Evelyn Kuwertz, Germany
David Levinthal, USA
Thomas Locher, Germany
Robert Longo, USA
Ken Lum, Canada
Paul Mc Carthy / Mike Kelley, USA
Ernst Mach, Austria
Bjarne Melgaard, Denmark
Ana Mendieta, Cuba
Alessandro Mendini et Prospero Rasulo, Italy
Feng Mengbo, China
Tracey Moffatt, Australia
James Nachtwey, USA
Yoshitomo Nara, Japan
Bruce Nauman, USA
Friederike J. Nestler-Rebeau und Norbert Nestler, Austria
Anja Niedringhaus, Germany
Simon Norfolk, Great Britain
Josh On (Futurefarmers), USA
Tony Oursler, USA
Max Peintner, Austria
Paolo Pietrangeli, Roberto Giannarelli, Wilma Labate, Francesco Martinotti, Italy
Walid Ra'ad, Lebanon
Arnulf Rainer, Austria
Khaled D. Ramadan, Lebanon
Sophie Ristelhueber, France
Ulrike Rosenbach, Germany
Martha Rosler, USA
Christopher Roth / Franz Stauffenberg, Germany
Nancy Rubins, USA
Thomas Ruff, Germany
Volker Saul, Germany
Alfons Schilling, Austria
Michael Schuster, Austria
Paul Seawright, Nordirland
Nebojsa Seric-Soba, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Santiago Sierra, Spain / Mexico
Paul M Smith, Great Britain
Leonid Sokov, Russia
Hermann Stamm, Germany
Thaddeus Strode, USA
Erika Sulzer-Kleinemeier, Germany
Tony Tasset, USA
Lina Theodorou, Greece
Wolfgang Tillmans, Germany
Daniel Tisdale, USA
Milica Tomic, Yugoslavia
Michail Tschernischow, Russia
Kanda Matulu Tshibumba, Congo
Günther Uecker, Germany
Paul Virilio, France
Barbara Visser, Netherlands
Wolf Vostell, Germany
Matthias Wähner, Germany
Peter Weibel / Valie Export, Austria
Andreas Welzenbach, Germany
Piet Wessing, Germany
Lebbeus Woods, USA
Heimo Zobernig, Austria