KISS

With Eva Egermann, Thomas Geiger, Elke Silvia Krystufek, Rade Petrasevic, Margot Pilz, Johanna Tinzl …

So what is this “investigation known as kissing” actually? Which secrets are we prying off each other? What happens when fluids, bugs, and viruses mix in an act of love? And how can we conquer the cosmos when kissing is no longer allowed or safe? Küssen verboten? Bussi baba? And if we are already at it: Who is allowed to kiss? And where? And when?

KISS presents a series of artistic contributions and works, commissioned by Kunsthalle Wien, which will be on view in public space in the summer and early fall of 2020. The artists Eva Egermann, Thomas Geiger, Elke Silvia Krystufek, Rade Petrasevic, Margot Pilz, Johanna Tinzl … are invited to engage in an act of social and cultural intimacy in the city and to realize projects that reduce the distance between contemporary art practices and their audiences.

Their works unfold from the current conditions and consequences of physical distancing, when all the power and potential embodied in the kiss seems to dissipate in awkwardness and insecurity and also the meaning of public space itself has been undergoing a complex transformation.

Therefore these projects will be presented in different urban situations and varying formats. By adding existing sites, artifacts, and narratives of cultural significance to its course, KISS expands on the traditional exhibition narrative, encouraging viewers to set off on an exploration of art, culture, and history in public space. The realized projects will be celebrated through an accompanying program that runs throughout July, August and September 2020. KISS will be communicated and regularly updated on this website as well as on our social media channels.

Kunsthalle Wien curatorial team: Laura Amann • Anne Faucheret • Aziza Harmel • WHW