un/mute at Austrian Cultural Forum New York, through January 7, 2022 & at Undercurrent through November 21, 2021
artssummary
“The Austrian Cultural Forum New York and Undercurrent unveil un/mute, an international group exhibition of collaborative works by 28 artists across multiple disciplines. On view at both locations, this multi-media exhibition is the culmination of an 18-month-long project that was launched in 2020 to provide European and NYC-based artists an opportunity for critical exchange and collaboration during the COVID-19 global pandemic.
What do communication and collaboration mean in a time of uncertainty and isolation? How is the artistic process impacted by going ‘fully remote’? In un/mute, artists from 10 countries were paired to explore these questions. We recognize that effective communication requires active engagement of all the senses and an openness to diversity, interpretation and digitalization. But what does that look like in practice? The project challenged teams to overcome the limitations of lockdowns as they connected across artistic mediums, language, culture, generations and time zones to find new forms of expression and meaning within art.
un/mute is the physical manifestation of online conversations among strangers who became collaborators. What began as abstract, ephemeral and digital are now 14 tactile, analog and concrete artworks presented across two locations. The artists confronted the parameters imposed by the lockdowns and each team found creative solutions that we might all learn from. The common thread that runs through the sculptures, installations, films, drawings, photographs and performances is the importance of language.” — Austrian Cultural Forum & Undercurrent
Austrian Cultural Forum New York
Undercurrent
Exhibition was co-curated by Daina Mattis and Melinda Wang.
Images courtesy Austrian Cultural Forum New York & Undercurrent.