Art & Discourse: Exploring Atlanten – Ich oder das Chaos at HALLE FÜR KUNST

Welcome to our radio show, produced from recordings made during the workshop at HALLE FÜR KUNST on August 24, 2024. In this episode, we’ll be exploring two significant exhibitions: Atlanten – Ich oder das Chaos by Franz Kapfer and Ever/Repair by Isabel Lewis and Dirk Bell.

Franz Kapfer’s exhibition, Atlanten – Ich oder das Chaos, delves deep into the examination and interpretation of historically charged objects. Kapfer critically engages with methods of historiography, analyzing how historical symbols, codes, and monuments are politically and media-driven, often manipulated, and how they continue to shape contemporary societies. His work uncovers the profound political dimensions these objects carry.

In recognition of the Styrian State Prize for Visual Arts in 2022, Kapfer has created a new large-scale work series focusing on the mythological figure of Atlas. In architecture, male, muscular, and oversized columnar figures are referred to as Atlantes, inspired by the Greek titan who bore the heavens on his shoulders. This monumental installation, along with older works, provides an expansive view of Kapfer’s artistic journey, blending new and past pieces in a retrospective format.

In parallel with his exhibition at HALLE FÜR KUNST, Kapfer also presents a simultaneous intervention at the Landeszeughaus in Graz, home to a vast collection of early modern weaponry. There, he has installed ten large-scale, vividly colored paper stencils, which stand as architectural blueprints for darker, dystopian versions of the Atlantes displayed in the HALLE FÜR KUNST. This dual exhibition highlights the ongoing conversation Kapfer fosters about the political and cultural weight of historical artifacts.

Meanwhile, Isabel Lewis and Dirk Bell’s Ever/Repair complements these themes by exploring history’s relevance to the present through sounds and texts, particularly focusing on the Jamaican Junkanoo Carnival and how care practices can resist and heal the legacy of colonial violence.

During our workshop, we first visited the exhibitions, where curator Jan Tappe guided us through the works with an engaging tour. Afterward, we gathered to dive deeper into the exhibition’s concepts, opening up a rich discussion about the artistic and political discourses at play.

We are also excited to invite you to a special radio workshop on October 19, 2024, from 14:00 to 17:00! Together with the team from Radio Helsinki, we will visit the exhibition of artist Mathias Poledna at HALLE FÜR KUNST Steiermark.

During this workshop, we’ll discuss art, pop culture, as well as film and music history, and record audio material. By the end of the session, we’ll create our very own radio segment together.

The workshop is free of charge. Please register by October 15th at [email protected]. Join us—we look forward to seeing you!

Photo: Wolfgang Oeggl, HALLE FÜR KUNST Steiermark