Program 2024: Chronic Contradictions

Established in 1844, Salzburger Kunstverein is an Austrian institution deeply committed to contemporary art and its discourse. It offers a space for reflection, debate, and community engagement through an array of art exhibitions as well as performances, and hosts residency programs that welcome artists, curators, and writers from around the world.

With Mirela Baciak as the new director since July 2023, Salzburger Kunstverein introduces a working model with an annual thematic focus that brings together local and international dialogues. The 2024 program, titled “Chronic Contradictions,” delves into the complex interplay of health and climate crisis. This program aims to explore the role of art in fostering societal healing and resilience, offering artistic remedies that might bring relief or inspire hope.

Between March 1 and April 28, Vasilis Papageorgiou’s exhibition Sunseekers or Dimming the Sun or challenges the paradigms of capitalist pleasure and planetary exhaustion by reflecting the cyclical nature of labor and leisure, with a poetic nod to the beach as a metaphor for indulgence. Concurrently, Jeamin Cha’s exhibition Freeze Response delves into the political facets of health, utilizing moving image and performance to challenge and dissect the narratives surrounding well-being.

From the May 8 to June 30, the institution showcases The Myth of Normal: Chronic Contradictions a group exhibition conceptualized in collaboration with Kunstverein Hannover. This exhibit is intricately paired with Kunstverein Hannover’s own “The Myth of Normal: Of Competing and Conceding,” serving as its sororal twin in exploring the standards of “normalcy” in health and societal expectations inspired by the insights of Dr. Gabor Maté, a renowned expert in the study of trauma. Salzburger Kunstverein features contributions from Cat Chong, Jeamin Cha, Itamar Gov, Anastasia Sosunova, Imogen Stidworthy, and Julia Zöhrer. Complementing, the performance series “When the Body Says Yes” co-produced by the two Kunstvereine explores the nuances of ability through the works of Benoît Piéron and Perel.

From June to August, the shift towards digital healthcare will be explored through the performance series “Smart Nursing.” Liesel Burisch, Anna Witt, and Ania Nowak offer an examination of caring practices with a particular focus on their implications in Austria.

The summer exhibition echo* opening on July 12 intersects the artistic practices of Sung Tieu and Martin Beck. This joint presentation brings to life a space where the resonance of sound meets the solidity of the institutional structure. A key element of the exhibition is a collaborative sound environment enveloping the space of the Kunstverein. Tieu and Beck furthermore explore the life cycle of materials that construct our environments and fuel the dynamic between repetition and renewal. Concurrently, Philipp Fleischmann’s exhibition Flashes of Resilience delves into the confluence of visual arts and film. The exhibition features a looped 735-cm long film-sculpture that runs at 18 frames per second, investigating possibilities of queer abstraction. 

Co-produced with VTC Statement / viennacontemporary The Color of Energy (September 20–November 24) is an exhibition divided into two distinct yet interconnected parts, exploring how energy colors our past, present, and future. Anchored in the idea that energy’s primary colors are geopolitics, technology, and people, this exhibition seeks to reflect the often-overlooked energy flows essential for comprehending the dynamics of today’s world. Operating within a chromatic score, where energy does not have a singular hue but posits a spectrum of de:saturated colors, the exhibition explores our entanglements with the sun and wind as much as with oil, coal, gas, and metals, and highlights how the varying intensities of energy connect politics and cultures. 

The final exhibition of the year (December 13, 2024–February 2, 2025) is a showcase traditionally reserved for the members of the Kunstverein, this year guest-curated by Hana Ostan Ožbolt. Concurrently, we present the work of Luz Olivares Capelle, the winner of the 2023 Emerging Artist Award of Land Salzburg and Salzburger Kunstverein.

Please check our website for details.