Hospitable Utopia.vienna.ed

part 1: 8. 9. 2021 - 24. 9. 2021

Vernissage 8. 9. 2021, 18-22h

Finissage 24. 9. 2021, 18-21h

part 2:  29. 9. 2021– 15. 10. 2021

Vernissage 29. 9. 2021, 18-21h

Finissage 15. 10. 2021, 18-22h

Hospitable Utopia.vienna.ed is an adaptation of the group show produced in Užice, Serbia, during the kick-off residency program at the Reflektor gallery.

In 2021 July 17-25, seventeen artists and three curators collectively researched on Hospitable Utopia concept by participating in field trips in a surrounding area, meeting locals, and understanding the historical and contemporary significance of the old military headquarters where The Užice Visual Artists Association and Reflektor gallery are located.

By working together, Art & Science students from University of Applied Arts Vienna, curators from Improper Walls, artists based in Serbia and in Austria, supported by artists residing in Užice, the group tackled beyond the obvious definition of two words (Hospitable & Utopia).

Considering the difficult task of finding the connected meaning of those two words, of which the second one takes away the verifiable existence of the first one, the experience of the collective experience was inevitable. Utopia often is explained as “no place,” and this paradigm was collectively imagined and experienced in the place where the residency took place.

In other words, there was “no place” in the place. “No place” as for Utopia, which was collectively imagined and meta realistically experienced in the Hospitable place, being readily receptive, kind to strangers, and providing good conditions for growing.

At the end of the residency, the evidence of the collectively experienced utopia was visualized through the vocalized thoughts, sounds, images, text, found objects, and performative actions.

The Hospitable Utopia.vienna.ed show is divided into two parts and will be displayed in Improper Walls space from September 8-24 and September 29-October 15, 2021.

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Artists
Margit Busch
Aurianne Chevandier
Dejan Clement
Eugenie Desmedt
Milica Dukić
Jelena Marta Glišić
Olivier Hölzl
Els Van Houtert
Christos Kyritopoulos
Lena Violetta Leitner
Georgij Melnikov
Nenad Nedeljkov
Lindsey Nicholson
Radomirka Siljanovski
Verena Tscherner
Miloš Vučićević
Márton Zalka

Curators
Ale Zapata
Urtė Špeirokaitė
Justina Špeirokaitė