The Kunsthaus within the Klanglicht

"It is very important to us to be part of Klanglicht (Festival of Sound and Vision) with the projects by Monica Bonvicini on the BIX facade of the Kunsthaus and Azra Aksamija Diaspora Scroll (Mariahilf) on the church facade on Mariahilferplatz. We are linking the exhibition Glaube Liebe Hoffnung (Faith Love Hope), which extends from the Kunsthaus and the Minorite Cultural Centre far into the city, with the urban events of the present day. The two works deliberately focus attention on aspects of Christian heritage, on pop-cultural connections between history, commercialisation and the built programme, which manifests itself everywhere in urban space."
Barbara Steiner and Katrin Bucher Trantow, curators of the exhibition Faith Love Hope at Kunsthaus Graz and KULTUM (12.4.-26.8.2018)

Monica Bonvicini: GUILT, 2018

Location: BIX Media Facade

The letter sequence "GUILT"  on the facade of the Kunsthaus becomes a visual statement, a signet that contains both a warning and a denunciation without a specific addressee. It is a term with a variety of connotations, which subjectively signifies an unauthorised or reprehensible act and objectively the transgression of moral or legally forbidden boundaries, and is pushed into the urban space on the facade of the Kunsthaus. As a term, it must always be thought of in relation to society, because above all the admission of guilt challenges coexistence and at the same time calls for communication with others when it comes to repentance and forgiveness.

In the past decades, the term was detached from the ecclesiastical and theological context and moved towards the field of popular culture and psycho-coaching. "Guilt" is the title of several films, music albums and a US American television series. Confession, remorse and forgiveness are increasingly outsourced to talk shows and social media, and commercial service providers offer ways to free oneself from the feeling of guilt. A culture of guilt is most certainly also related to power since the creation of an exaggerated sense of guilt leads to power over people and their behaviour. This is where Bonvicini's interest begins: In her cross-media works, the artist repeatedly deals with power structures and examines the complex relations between physical and social space and the historic, political and economic imprints that influence these spaces. 

Azra Akšamija: Diaspora Scroll (Mariahilf), 2018

Location: Facade of the Mariahilferkirche

On the facade of the Mariahilferkirche, a growing network of embroidery patterns and architectural forms, all of which have local references but in some cases come together from different cultures, is superimposed on the sound light. Altogether becoming an image of constant change and intertwining, the built church combines with the projected symbols and forms from different cultures to form a growing unity. As an invitation to see the existing with new eyes, the doors of the baroque pilgrimage church will also open wide during the three evenings, inviting visitors to take in the powerful building and spiritual place in the quietly flickering candlelight.