The forces that hold us together:

An epistemology of coexistence | Talk with Johannes Frauenschuh

With Eyes All Over, framed Screen Print on Textile, 83/113,5/4,3cm (c) Johannes Frauenschuh. 2021

Johannes Frauenschuh has a broad and colourful background. He has worked as a social worker in various contexts for more than 20 years, currently he is working professionally with people with disabilities. Johannes also has extensive practical experience in the socio-demographic analysis and processing of demographic data. Empirical social research has also played a role in various interdisciplinary art projects. The conception and organization of art and culture-related exhibitions as well as the preparation and communication of knowledge is also an important part of his work as an artist and cultural scientist. As a visual artist, he works in a variety of media and materials.

Dear Johannes, it is wonderful hearing from you again. What are your views on art and science after all your experience?

"Fundamentally, I would say that the difference between art and science is that in the context of art, questions are more likely to be asked, whereas in the coordinate system of science, questions are attempted to be answered."

What both have in common is the claim to intersubjectivity, at least when art or scientific outputs has a public consisting of at least two people. The methodologies of the sciences are arguably more standardized than those of the arts. I also see this as an opportunity for artistic research: that through the more open use of research methods, questions can be asked that cannot be asked in a purely scientific context. What both also have in common, in my opinion, is that engaging with art or science can be conducive to an approach to truth and reality.

Furthermore, I believe that through artistic practice, it is possible to deconstruct conventional (Western) dichotomies, which would exist as opposites in the context of scientific approaches. For example, while formulating something abstract on a canvas, I can describe and experience my action as both deductive and inductive: the creation refers to my considerations that led to the artistic output, and I can also derive new considerations and theses regarding the here and now from the output. And the narratives behind the creation can, for example, be both nominalist and realist in nature. From an epistemological perspective, I find this highly interesting.

Hieronymus Bosh Tribute, Collage and Oil on Canvas (c) Johannes Frauenschuh. 2025

the written language of bark beetles etc. Installation (c) Johannes Frauenschuh. 2025

Can you describe your artistic style?

As an artist, I try to be free enough to use any medium, any narrative, any style, etc. that seems appropriate to me at the moment. Developing my own style hasn't interested me until now, but certain narratives and aesthetics are accumulating and converging. However the urge to reinvent the genre every time seems to be diminishing.

Where do you get inspired for your creative work?

For my artistic work, for example, in engaging with cultural and social science discourses. I've always been interested in questions like "why do people tick the way they do?" and "what are the forces/systems/narratives/... that hold us together as a community or society?".
During my time at the Art & Science department, I increasingly explored natural scientific theories again, such as genetics and, for example, the phenomenon of dark matter with Maximilian Gallo, which evolved into an interdisciplinary art project. Here, too, the question "what are the forces that hold us together?" was central to me.

For several years now, I've also been spending part of my time in Burgenland: Being embedded in a provincial setting and the influence of a natural environment seems to inspire me a lot. This has resulted in a more positivist mindset again, I think. I'm increasingly trying to let go of old, reactionary thought patterns; a temporary distance from the academic art world was probably necessary for this. I find it very inspiring to observe how quickly plants, for example, develop in nature; in contrast, a human mindset can remain stagnant for years if the sense organs are not used in a correspondingly positivist way.

Bee Architecture, oil on wax on wood, 2022 (c) Johannes Frauenschuh

Do you rather work in collectives or alone?

After spending a large portion of my artistic activities during my studies in group settings, I was very happy after my time at the university to be able to do what I enjoy as an artist again, which primarily corresponds to my own drive. Questions regarding the contextualization of my artistic work for exhibitions and presentations were now irrelevant, which was probably very good for me and my artistic work.

"In general, I always find working in groups very fruitful, as it broadens one's own perspective,
and an approach to the "reality of being" can probably be more successful
through intersubjective exchange."

Especially as an artist, exchange among one another is crucial; one can learn a lot from one another, both through discourse and through shared practical activity. Even in the age of chatbots, it can be significantly more efficient to work together on a topic as a group: having multiple perspectives on an object or issue is probably more realistic and closer to the reality of being than pursuing a single line of argument.

Dispositive Molds, part of Work Out #1: Inside Out Exhibition. 2018. Photos (c) Peter Kainz

For how many years did you study at the Art & Science Department?

I began my studies in the winter semester of 2017 and was effectively studying until the coronavirus outbreak. In the fall of 2020, I organized the Art & Science Department's collaboration with Vienna Art Week, but this event then took place virtually.

You have participated in many projects, even outside the curriculum. Maybe you would like to name a few?

A very inspiring excursion, for example, was to CERN in Geneva, which was related to the interdisciplinary project "Translating Dark Matter - Representing the Invisible," on which I worked together with Maximilian Gallo in 2018 and 2019. I also have fond memories of an excursion to Belgium and Berlin with Eva Maria Stadler and Eva Kernbauer [both Angewandte, ed.]. This trip was themed around postcolonial theory, the postcolonial history of Belgium, the period of classical modernism in the visual arts and the preceding movement of symbolism, radical aestheticism etc.. In this context, we visited the outstanding (!) exhibition "Neolithic Childhood. Art in a False Present, c. 1930" at "HKW-Haus der Kulturen der Welt" in Berlin. Engaging with the themes of this exhibition has indeed had a lasting effect on the way I view the history of modern art and the history of coexistence in the first half of the 20th century. Seeing original works by James Ensor in Brussels was also very inspiring.

But in the end you did not complete your studies with the master exam. Would you like to tell us why you took this decision?

During the coronavirus pandemic, I had to be very flexible with my time for my professional work in the social sector. For financial reasons, I couldn't find time for my studies at this time. Also, because the scholarships aimed at art university graduates have an age limit, I decided not to complete my studies. The only thing I was missing at the time was my diploma thesis, but the end of the coronavirus pandemic was nowhere in sight, and I already had two (equivalent) university degrees. That's why I decided not to complete my Art & Science studies. While that was a shame on the one hand, I was also very happy to get some distance from the academic art world at that time.

After experiencing that, do you have any suggestions for someone who might struggle as well to stay in the program?

I would definitely encourage students who are already advanced in their studies or are close to graduating to complete their studies. In Austria, an academic degree is advantageous in several ways, for example, when applying for a job in the public sector. Students can also use a large part of the University of Applied Arts' infrastructure: As an artist, you probably won't find yourself in a situation like that anytime soon, I would definitely try to take advantage of this!

Translating Dark Matter. 2019. Photo (c) Johannes Frauenschuh

Presentation of Dispositive Molds, as part of the Work Out #1: Inside Out Exhibition. 2018. Photos (c) Peter Kainz

What kind of job would you like to do if you had not became an artist?

Today, I'm actually glad that I'm “not just" an academic visual artist and that I don't “have to go to the studio every day to work”. Otherwise, I'd probably feel like I was missing out on something in the "real world."

Thank you, Hans, for the interesting insights into your life and thoughts.

JOHANNES FRAUENSCHUH
Johannes @Art&Science