Matthias Wagner K

The fundamental hypothesis upon which my curatorial work is based is that sculptures, photographs, films or design objects should not be viewed in isolation and from a purely aesthetic perspective but instead within the context of their time and specific traditions of writing and visual representation, in other words – after Aby Warburg – they are psychohistorical symptoms that contain the basic principles of human existence in a condensed form. For this reason, defining a theme and curating an exhibition on this subject requires not only the precise observation of what can be determined at a particular point of time in artistic production, but also an awareness of its respective background, which draws on history, traditions and distinctive social, geographical and cultural features.

For me it is necessary for the curatorial working process to show firm resistance to reductive systems of analysis – whether they be formal, conceptual or cognitive – as well as to hegemonial attributions and definitions. As far as current statements as concerned, this means continually renegotiating what art can be. Displacement und concentration are methods that can be applied here, as is the critical analysis of economic conditions, social contexts and systems of presentation – such as event formats or creative staging.

I regard my task as supporting art and artists to the effect that they have the freedom to adopt or maintain a critical-reflexive stance towards present-day phenomena. It is, therefore, a matter of providing the general conditions that allow an individual or a group of people to create a sensually perceptible space for reflection (Denkraum) – because this is what distinguishes an ‘art space’ – that is removed from the pragmatic circumstances and constraints of everyday life, a Denkraum that ideally contains a utopian element.

Matthias Wagner K (2008)