SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 – JANUARY 7, 2022
Nov 16 at 6-8 PM ET: After Hours at the Austrian Cultural Forum
An “open studios” type event (minutes the studios) where the public will get the chance to meet our artists in the ACFNY gallery. There will also be performances by some of the artists.
Open to the public – no RSVP required. Proof of vaccination + ID required to enter.
CO-CURATED BY DAINA MATTIS AND MELINDA WANG
Austrian Cultural Forum New York, 11 East 52nd Street, New York, NY; September 22, 2021 – January 7, 2022
Undercurrent, 70 John Street, Brooklyn, NY; September 22, 2021- November 21, 2021
Free and open to the public
www.unmute.nyc
ABOUT THE SHOW
The Austrian Cultural Forum New York and Undercurrent (in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute New York) are pleased to present un/mute, an international group exhibition of collaborative works by 28 artists across multiple disciplines. On view at the Austrian Cultural Forum New York and Undercurrent, the 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.
Ever-evolving, language encapsulates an innate power dynamic that is renegotiated, redistributed and reimagined in uncertain times. While words like “screenshare,” “Zoom-bombing” and “unmute” enter a universal lexicon, and “#relatable” memes are shared across cultures, we also face the limits of language as we work to avoid miscommunication and misunderstanding. Cultures and countries apart, the artists endeavored to find a bridge across two points in (virtual) space through the ephemeral Zoom link. What they also discovered were empathy from a fellow artist, discussions that sparked new ideas, a shared language around the creative process and a rethinking of the power of art.
With cities re-opening, a recontextualized focus on systemic racism and xenophobia, and our collective experience of 18 months of self-reflection, un/muteobserves the transition into a new epoch – one that imagines an inclusive and diverse ecosystem. Differences may surface in times of cooperation and compromise, but synergy can be forged through friction. We trip, we regain our balance, we shift, we reconsider. What is crucial is that when we do have the chance to rise to meet the moment, we seize the opportunity and “click unmute.”
Join the conversation online and follow ACFNY’s Instagram (@acfny) and Undercurrent’s Instagram (@undercurrent.nyc); please use the #unmuteNYChashtag when posting.
un/mute is a project by Undercurrent and the following members of EUNIC NY – European Union National Institutes for Culture: Austrian Cultural Forum New York, Czech Center New York, Consulate General of Estonia in New York, Delegation of Flanders to the USA, Goethe-Institut New York,Lithuanian Culture Institute, Arts Council Malta in New York, Polish Cultural Institute New York and Romanian Cultural Institute. un/mute is also supported by EUNIC Global, the European Union Delegation to the United Nations, Hope Recycling Station and Jindřich Chalupecký Society.
EXHIBITING ARTISTS
Eren Aksu (Germany), Anna Bera (Poland), Aaron Bezzina (Malta), Alex Camilleri (Malta), Mariella Cassar-Cordina (Malta), Saddie Choua (Flanders, Belgium), Sanne De Wilde (Flanders, Belgium), FOQL (Poland), Gabrielė Gervickaitė (Lithuania), Nicola Ginzel (Austria), Justyna Górowska (Poland), Kris Grey (NYC), Kyle Hittmeier (NYC), Ada Van Hoorebeke (Flanders, Belgium), Olesja Katšanovskaja–Münd (Estonia), Mo Kong (NYC), Yi Hsuan Lai (NYC), H. Lan Thao Lam (NYC), Marie Lukáčová (Czech Republic), Sheila Maldonado (NYC), Ieva Mediodia (Lithuania), Emmanuel Massillon (NYC), Alex Mirutziu (Romania), Luisa Muhr (Austria), Barbara Maria Neu (Austria), Emily Shanahan (NYC), Sydney Shavers (NYC) and Terttu Uibopuu (Estonia)
Recordings of the artists’ conversations and collaborative processes are available at www.unmute.nyc.
PROGRAMMING
An opening reception and exhibition-related programming will be announced at a later date.
PRESS RELEASE
CREDITS
Co-Curators: Daina Mattis + Melinda Wang
Exhibition Executive Producer and Exhibition Coordinator/ACFNY: Nina Monschein
Exhibition Coordinator/Undercurrent: Daina Mattis
Assistant to Exhibition Coordinator/ACFNY: Anouk Weber
Assistant to Exhibition Coordinator/Undercurrent: Patricia Geyerhahn
Exhibition Design: Laura Zaveckaitė
Installation Architect/Design: Julius Ludavičius
Publicist: Dalia Stonienė
Head of Communications/ACFNY: Mary-Katerina Hoeser
Photographer: David Plakke
Project coordinator and Chair/EUNIC Representative: Christian Ebner
Web Development: Moacir P. de Sá Pereira
Interrogative Design: Symposium and Book Launch in
