Anna-sophie berger: "the art scene is hierarchical"

Anna-Sophie Berger is the winner of the Kapsch Contemporary Art Prize and has used a children’s playground for her installation in the Mumok.

A communication medium that is probably unknown to most is a central element of Anna-Sophie Berger’s exhibition in the Mumok: two opposing parabolic mirrors made of concrete. You were hardly visited Children’s Playground taken in the third district of Vienna. This game device, which transports sound and enables communication via an acoustic effect, is the only one of its kind in Vienna. "I was already preparing for a fight, but then nobody objected to giving up the parabolic mirrors," says the artist. And now the graffiti-sprayed, barely noticed play equipment has become an exhibition object. With the act of taking a public object from its surroundings and transferring it to a museum space, from where it will then be returned to its original location, specific reassessments could be made visible, according to Berger.

Place of communication. The parabolic mirrors stand for interaction between object and human. (c) Provided

Places for strife and reconciliation. there
the installation should not be understood as a critique of contemporary communication behavior, but as a reference to places where dialogue is possible. The striking title of the exhibition "Places to Fight And To Make Up" was chosen deliberately. "These places are not meant to be specific places, the term is to be understood metaphorically and poetically, and not every work refers to a place," explains Anna-Sophie Berger. "For example, the heritage seed earring was more about asking the question: How does a value come about?" The work "Pea Earring" forms a fragile counterpart to the two massive parabolic mirrors in the museum. With this exhibit and two works on paper, the artist follows the traces of forms of storage. The structures on the sheets of paper were created by applying a wet coat during previous activities. Anna-Sophie Berger learned to work with textiles during her studies.

She studied fashion design and photography at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. Even her diploma collection was very conceptual, and parts of it were later used in exhibitions. "I never really wanted to be a designer," Berger admits, "but there were moments that were important to me." Textiles and photographic media always play an important role in her work. "I spend a lot of time walking around, I work a lot with pictures, I take photos, I document, often a photo later leads to a job," she describes the inspiration process. In addition to free art, Berger has also been teaching applied arts since 2015. This is where she began, the students analyzing digital material and the world of images social Bringing the media closer: "I sensed that this is lacking in the applied field." As teachers, Berger wanted to keep hierarchies flat and do what she herself criticized as a student differently. But she quickly realized that it was also necessary to embody authority: "You must not only offer students, you also have to challenge!"

Place of dialogue. The beer bench serves as a symbol for dispute– and communication culture. (c) Provided

You have to earn success. In their opinion, hierarchies could also be reduced on the Austrian art market. "The art scene in Austria is hierarchical, there is a view that you have to earn it first," she says. Young women in particular are at a disadvantage, sell in galleries at lower prices, are labeled as “young things” and are often not taken seriously. In the USA, this is very different, since there is an absolute youth cult with the principle "The younger, the hotter". "It is no secret that I am not represented in any gallery in Vienna, maybe it would be different if I were a man," muses Berger, "but I was actually lucky because I started my career in America." The artist has had a gallery owner and numerous contacts in New York for years. And that’s where Anna-Sophie Berger will travel after the Mumok exhibition. She will turn her back on Vienna with an artist visa. Berger says whether she will really spend the entire duration of the visa in New York, come back earlier, or even stay entirely in the States: “I am always one hundred percent in one place, it is completely open where I once went will live. "

mumok. Anna-Sophie Berger: "Places to Fight and to Make Up", exhibition opening: 21. 10., 19 h. Duration: October 22, 2016 to January 29, 2017, Mon 2 pm – 7 pm; Tue – Sun 10 am–7pm; Thursday 10 am to 9 pm

Anna-sophie berger: “the art scene is hierarchical”

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