Artists | Sven Bergelt, Magda Biernat, Lia Darjes, Maximilian Hochstätter, Sven Johne, Benedikt Partenheimer, Nikolaus Ruchnewitz, Sonja Schwarz, Juraj Starovecky, Borjana Ventzislavova, Christina Werner, Sofia Zabranovic
Date | October 29 – November 12, 2016
Location | Offspace Spenglerei, Vienna

At the state border, abstract political decisions materialize into depictable consequences for migrants. The symbolic shots of overcrowded boats, barbed wire and waiting crowds of people have become part of our everyday media life.

They remind us of the continuing drama of the situation, but at the same time fix the border as a de facto and fateful barrier. What can artistic photography add to this depiction? The exhibition brings together works by international artists who examine borders in the sense of Georg Simmel as „sociological facts“. What processes are associated with the emergence of borders, what tasks do they fulfil, and what economic fluctuations has the term „border“ experienced in the recent past? How can contradictory developments, such as increasing globalization, boundless economic areas and growing national tendencies be artistically examined?

Borders are dividing lines that manifest themselves in space. They define, they exclude. Above all, however, borders are man-made conventions that are inevitably linked to social processes and influence the realities of life. Borders always structure and are the expression and manifestation of an imaginary difference. The artistic positions assembled in the exhibition emphasize the processual quality of boundaries and emphasize them as something that can be actively changed and defined. Therefore, the works carry a potential for activation that makes us think about the negotiations behind borders rather than passively respecting them.

Co-Curator: Corina Lueger
The exhibition was part of the program of the festival Eyes On – Month of Photography, Vienna.