„Paradise Pleasure Productions“ of Walter Van Beirendonck @ Song

Angelika Stephanie Böhm was at the opening.

[] hand embroidered flag by Walter van Beirendonck

When being occupied with our Vienna-Zocalo-Project I happened to realize in the exhibition of Walte Van Beirendonck how an internationally well-known fashion designer and artist deals with Mexican Wrestler Masks and textile materials.

I hoped to catch a glimpse of some Mexican Wrestler Masks at the exhibition, because of the picture of the invitation–cover, but there weren´t any masks. When I paid my visit to the inauguration of the exhibition there was simply an installation in the exhibition-room.

There were clusters of suspected display-dummies, which were covered by coloured flags. In the middle of the hall there was a big flag, spread like a carpet on the floor. Under this textile lay a male dummy, its stand-up penis of plastic, penetrating  a hole in the middle of the textile carpet. The coloured flags were printed on with expressions like  `fear´, `faith´, `sex´, `love´ and `hope´.

They showed little men, who were holding tight at their hands and very often you also could see the simplified nude portrayal of W.v.Beirendonck. Those textiles transmitted to me an indescribable happiness, but simultaneously a kind of covered criticism.

To find out the real intention of the installation more precisely I started to look for the webside of W.v.Beirendonck and succeeded in finding the following quotation:

Now this exhibition deals with the theme „freedom“:

Citation of Walter Van Beirendonck:

„The installation is a loud cry for freedom. Freedom, we have tofight for more than ever before. It is a big 'fuck you' to all thereligions, media, governments and people who are trying to influence or change the perception of the world. Censorship and limitation of expression has to be stopped. I 'used' and referred

to different impressions of cultures and religions, to create an uncanny image, which should raise questions. The 3 figures arecovered by big, hand-embroidered flags, with bright colours and patterns, which refer to my fashion-collections. The stories told on the flags refer to different subjects."

"My intention with this installation is exactly the same intention I have working on my fashion- collections: to tell a story in a way that raises a smile, but at the same time communicates deeper criticisms.“ 

http://www.waltervanbeirendonck.com/HTML/home.html?/HTML/PROJECTS/SONG/index.html&1 on the 29th of November

During the inauguration of the exhibition I happened to talk personally to W.v.Beirendonck.

He explained to me that he recently has dealt with the very topic `Mexican Wrestling Masks´ in a presentation. At a coat-stand he showed me various flags which were each symbolizing an example of his collection. Among those flags there was the-one for masks as well.

-> see Angelika Stephanies Pictures of the opening

Information about the designer and the artist:

W.v.Beirendonck lives and works in Antwerp, Belgium, and is one of the most renowned fashion designers of his native country.

The exhibtion runs from Nov. 26, 2010 to January 15, 2011.

Address: A-1020 Vienna, Praterstraße 11, A 1020 Vienna, + 43 (1) 532 28 58,

www.song.at, info@song.at

[] picture by http://www.ablogcuratedby.com/amagazine/walters-paradise-pleasure-productions-vienna/ 21.02.2011  10:45

Text by Angelika Stephanie Böhm

Tina Modotti at Kunsthaus Wien

The exhibition ‘Tina Modotti’ follows the didactical, informal rules of a conventional museum.

Nearby the entrance you find a bold and simple biography, which describes Modotti’s artistic/activist career while also providing a clear outline of her acquaintances.

The hanging of the exhibition is arranged in thematic groups and is dense and space filling. Artistic work and political activism form individually themed groups with their content only occasionally intersecting in the written descriptions of the work.

Although the exhibition is over-filled with artwork and descriptions, a superficial, common impression prevails.

text by Katharina Petru

[] exhibition poster

picture [] by Diana Nenning

for more impressions

Tina Modotti at Kunsthaus Wien

The exhibition ‘Tina Modotti - Photographer and Revolutionary’ which is currently exhibited at Kunsthaus Wien, looks to give the visitor an overview of the artist’s life and works. Tina Modotti was born on the 16^th of August 1896 in Udine and is one of the most important figures within documentary photography during the Mexican Revolution (1910 – 1920).

Modotti’s work was influenced by her travel experiences as well as the other artists and politicians that she worked and shared her ideas with, these included Edward Weston, Xavier Guerrero, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

The exhibition is spread out over two floors and is chronological arranged starting with her first pictures taken in Mexico City. These works, mainly photographs which present Modotti’s special eye for surface condition and structure in architecture, are enhanced by Edward Weston. The exhibition finishes with her journey to Berlin, where she was affected by doubts about her future career as a professional photographer.

The first expression the viewer is confronted with tries to give a very personal insight to Modotti’s life. You can find some botanical photographs about different flowers as well as classical portraits of friends and clients. For the viewer it is obvious that her political motivations increase over the years. On the second floor especially, you can see extensive documentation of the famous mural paintings in the department of education by Diego Rivera.

During her lifetime Modotti wasn't valued as much as the significant and influential artists she documented. Her work is essential for a retrospective of Mexican art, culture and history. 

text by Eva Greisberger