Direct Art

Direct Art
Viennese Actionism in an International Ccontext

Opening: Thu Nov 11
Date: Nov 12 - May 29
Venue: MUMOK

The direct work with bodies, objects and substances in the \'real\' world of things-in contrast to the use of the classic materials of visual arts to create illusions or evocations of subject matter-is the concern of many artists throughout the world. The Viennese Actionists are regarded as belonging to one group of those who moved away from or abandoned the easel picture in favour of staging activities in space and time.

Through the confrontation with precisely selected Gutai, Nouveau Réalisme, Fluxus, Pop Art and Happening, this reassessment of the MUMOK\'s holdings of Viennese Actionism points up the cross-references, analogies and structural similarities of the Viennese artists to simultaneous international developments.

In the process it becomes evident that despite the fact that at the time they were acting \'off stage\' as far as the international art world was concerned, their formulation of the questions was not only abreast of the current discourse, but because of the radical nature of their artistic steps and their perseverance they occasionally even outstripped their contemporaries.

Curator: Eva Badura-Triska

Themed Tours

Österreich gegen den Rest der Welt: Das repressive politische Klima und seine Ästhetik
With Ivan Jurica, in German language
Date: Dec 4, Jan 1, Mar 5, 14:00

Hirn mit Ei. Grenzüberschreitung, Provokation und Konfrontation - Die aktionistische Geste als subversiver Akt
Refreshments afterwards. With Maria Bucher, in German language
Date: Dec 11, Jan 15, 29, 14:00


www.mumok.at