Making Truth

Can you believe it’s already the 1st of December and this year is nearly done? But, scary as that is, that’s not what I want to talk about. Rather, this is a flashback to just a couple of weeks ago when I got to meet some Viennese artists. For me it´s always a thrill to observe artistic processes. Sometimes I get to listen to contemporary artists at exhibition openings or artist talks at museums. But I´ve never actually visited artists in their studios, let alone at home – so it was a special treat to be able to meet a few of Vienna´s many artists during Vienna Art Week 2019. I joined – what else 😉 – an Instawalk with IgersVienna and IgersAustria.

Vienna Art Week is a huge event, which was founded in 2004 as part of the Art Cluster Vienna association – 15 years of showcasing contemporary art. It presents, in concentrated form, Vienna´s multiple art institutions, academies, galleries, various art spaces – and artists. Every year towards the end of November it offers some 200 events at many different venues around town and attracts a huge number of visitors. Program highlights range from exhibitions and discussions to tours and guided exhibition walks.

Truth in art

I am not sure if there can ever be truth in art – as a photographer I know that the truth my eye sees is different from the truth my camera sees, which is different from the truth my photo editing software sees, which is different from how my photos can look on different devices. And the truth your eyes, as opposed to mine, see may be something else altogether. Nevertheless, Vienna Art Week 2019 has chosen “MAKING TRUTH” as the guiding theme. With this the organizing team is creatively responding to fake news. And fighting fake news is certainly something we all should strive for.

“At a time when fake news is booming many people yearn for a – preferably sole – objective authority that speaks the truth. And yet history teaches us that promises of salvation, from whichever direction, are misleading and dangerous.”

Robert Punkenhofer (Artistic Director) & Angela Stief (Curator)

Artist meet and greet days

One of the highlights of this year´s Art Week was the weekend of 16-17 November, when some 140 artists opened their studios to the public. What a treat! It was a unique opportunity to take a look behind the scenes of artistic creation. Here I can show you only a few of the artists and their work, and I will not go into their stories, but if you like you can follow the links to see more about them. And maybe you want to put this event on your agenda for next year.

– Nives Widauer

– Esther Vörösmarty

– Ursula Hübner

– Martin Schnur

– Karen Holländer

– Lois Renner

Sources: Websites of Vienna Art Week and individual artist websites.

All photos my own.

Thank you, IgersVienna and IgersAustria for letting me join you once again.