Presented by the Austrian Cultural Forum New York and MUSA Vienna
Artists: Clarina BEZZOLA, Petra BUCHEGGER, Mehmet EMIR, Leslie DE MELO, Sissi FARASSAT, Matthias HERRMANN, Anna JERMOLAEWA, Birgit JÜRGENSSEN, Jakob Lena KNEBL / Hans SCHEIRL, Evangelia KRANIOTI, Maria LASSNIG, Kalup LINZY, MUNTEAN/ROSENBLUM, Rashaad NEWSOME, Maria PETSCHNIG, Lisl PONGER, Katarina SCHMIDL, Cindy SHERMAN
Beauty Contest presents artists exploring what is probably one of the most trivial everyday experiences: our daily encounter with human beauty and its social construction. A perennial subject for artists and writers, the creation of beauty has always been linked to power and gender, to distinction and competition, to rejection and desire, and to linearity and diversity.
Visual arts, fashion and media have strongly contributed to the transformation of the notion of beauty over the last few generations. Widely perceived to be an extension of femininity until the late 20th century, feminism and the gay, lesbian and queer movements have eroded clear definitions of who and what is beautiful – and who and what is not. This sea change took place in an age where the notion of gender itself has been challenged and transformed.
Emancipatory artistic reflection and practice has fought to reveal the hidden structures of repression toward gender, race, and age and to shake off antiquated visual preconceptions. Yet we still seem to be caught in a vicious cycle of competition for social status, visual representation and an industrially managed and mainstreamed aesthetical canon.
This exhibition is shown in conjunction with MUSA (German acronym for Museum – Start-Gallery – Artothek). MUSA Vienna hosts the collection of the Cultural Department of the City of Vienna, and presents contemporary Austrian art in its 6,500 square foot exhibition space. MUSA also has a fully equipped state-of-the-art artwork storage and conservation facility on its premises. Visit www.musa.at for more information.
PHOTOS from the exhibition opening on September 20th, 2011, are available on our Facebook page.
ACFNY Gallery View
Photo by David Plakke
Clarina BEZZOLA
When I walk alone in the streets… (2011)
Styrofoam, fiberglass
Dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist
Installation View at the ACFNY
Photo by David Plakke
Clarina BEZZOLA
When I walk alone in the streets… (2011)
Styrofoam, fiberglass
Dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist
Installation View at the ACFNY
Photo by David Plakke
Clarina BEZZOLA
Still from When I walk alone in the streets… (2011)
Video
15 min
Courtesy of the artist
Petra BUCHEGGER
Projected images of women (Projizierte Frauenbilder) (2003)
Slide projection
Courtesy of MUSA, Vienna (The Art Collection of the City of Vienna)
Leslie DE MELO
The Sari (1996)
Oil on canvas
55.11 x 74.8 inches
Courtesy of private lender
Mehmet EMIR
From the series Mit der Schere dazwischen gefahren (2008)
b/w photograph
Barty paper
8.26 x 11.81 in
Courtesy of the artist
Sissi FARASSAT
Rio 2 (2003)
Sequined color photograph
30.7 x 20.5 in
Courtesy of MUSA, Vienna (The Art Collection of the City of Vienna)
Matthias HERRMANN
Light my fire (1997)
Color photograph
9.8 x 7.8 inches
Courtesy of MUSA, Vienna (The Art Collection of the City of Vienna)
Matthias HERRMANN
One of the things I always ask my straight students is how their heterosexuality influences their work (Lari Pittmann) (1997)
Color photograph
9.8 x 7.8 inches
Courtesy of MUSA, Vienna (The Art Collection of the City of Vienna)
Matthias HERRMANN
It took more than one man to change my name to Shanghai Lily (1997)
Color photograph
9.8 x 7.8 inches
Courtesy of MUSA, Vienna (The Art Collection of the City of Vienna)
Anna JERMOLAEWA
Still from The way up (2008)
Video loop
3:14 min
Courtesy of the artist
Anna JERMOLAEWA
Still from 3-Minute Attempts at Survival (2000)
Video
3 min
Courtesy of the artist
Birgit JÜRGENSSEN
Everybody has his own point of view (1979)
B/w photograph on barite, vintage print
12.5 x 8 inches
Courtesy of MUSA, Vienna (The Art Collection of the City of Vienna)
Jakob Lena KNEBL
Still from Becoming (2010)
Video projection
7:37 min
Courtesy of the artist
Evangelia KRANIOTI
Yes, I do. (2011)
Installation
Courtesy of the artist
Installation View at the ACFNY
Photo by David Plakke
Evangelia KRANIOTI
Room 16bis (2008)
Color photograph
23.6 x 34.3 inches
Courtesy of the artist
Maria LASSNIG
Prothesenselbstporträt (2000)
Oil on canvas
49.21 x 39.37 inches
Courtesy of Michael A. Young Collection
Kalup LINZY
Still from Fuck U and Sampled & LeftOva (2009)
Video projection
7 min
Courtesy of the artist
MUNTEAN/ROSENBLUM
Untitled (In the world we…) (2003)
Acrylic on canvas
90.5 x 106.3 inches
Courtesy of MUSA, Vienna (The Art Collection of the City of Vienna)
Rashaad NEWSOME
Duke of NOLA (2011)
Collage on paper with antique frame
47 x 36.5 x 4 in
Courtesy of private collection
Maria PETSCHNIG
Still from Coaching Sessions (2011)
4-channel HD video projection
7 minutes
Courtesy of the artist
Lisl PONGER
Meet me in St. Louis, Louis (2000)
b/w photograph on barite, aluminum frame
49.6 x 40.1 inches
Courtesy of MUSA, Vienna (The Art Collection of the City of Vienna)
Katarina SCHMIDL
Ein schönes Stück Österreich / A beautiful piece of Austria (2002)
Sculpture, drinking straws, polyester resin
13.7 x 14.5 x 14.5 inches
Courtesy of MUSA, Vienna (The Art Collection of the City of Vienna)
Katarina SCHMIDL
Ein schönes Stück Österreich / A beautiful piece of Austria (2002)
and
Mehmet EMITR
Mit der Schere dazwischen gefahren (2008)
Cindy SHERMAN
Untitled (1982)
C-Print
19.9 x 23.9 inches
Courtesy of SAMMLUNG VERBUND, Vienna
Cindy SHERMAN
Untitled (1987)
Color photograph
8 x 11 inches
Courtesy of SAMMLUNG VERBUND, Vienna
Curators Berthold Ecker, Claude Grunitzky, and Andreas Stadler
Curatorial Assistants Natascha Boojar and Roland Fink
Exhibition Assistants Georg Bauer, Karin Buchegger, Antonia Cramer, Barbara Juch, Catharina Schreiber, Birgit Stidl, Iris Sutrich, Maria-Theresia Svejda
Supporting Institutions of the Austrian Cultural Forum New York: RB International Finance (USA) LLC, Zumtobel
