Silence and voices
Weltkunstzimmer - Labor für Kritik und Weitsicht" (World Art Room - Laboratory for Criticism and Foresight) is a new series of events that focuses on the foreground and background of artistic projects. In recent years, artists and cultural practitioners have developed a wide variety of strategies that unfold away from the art market, media and institutions and call for new forms of reception. Moreover, artists and curators are increasingly reacting to the strong social changes that have been negotiated for years under the catchwords "capitalism, crisis, consumption and control".Â
What positions do artists take? And how can these be communicated? What is the position of art critics? In addition to the focus on media and interdisciplinary issues, the main aim is to present works and projects that are based on longer-term research and dare to experiment and take risks, away from the targeted exhibition format. The events take place monthly on Wednesdays at 7 pm in the guest room of the Weltkunstzimmer.
Juergen Staack and Thomas W. Rieger in conversation with Janine Blöß and Sabine Maria Schmidt
 26 August 2015, 7 pm
In the age of an all-dominant global image culture, Juergen Staack (born 1978) poses the question of image-generating foundations and elements in a completely new way. In his early works, the Düsseldorf artist and former student of Thomas Ruff examined the essence of the visuality of photography. What makes a photograph a picture? What role does the viewer play? Can pictures be described in the same way as photographs? From these questions, he develops abstractions, sound pieces and performances that lead from the descriptive into the narrative image. For example, Staack asked people of different origins to describe photos in their mother tongue while destructively painting over them.
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For his works, Staack researches local language traditions that are threatened with extinction worldwide on his numerous journeys through Asia, Europe or Siberia. The cultural traditions and economic survival strategies associated with them are also brought to mind - such as the auction language of Japanese tuna dealers ("Tsukiji", 2010) or the telephone numbers of Chinese day labourers illegally affixed to walls ("Wei", 2012).
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In January 2012, Juergen Staack travelled with Thomas Neumann to Siberia, where Staack was on the trail of the phenomenon of "ice whispering", in which extreme cold can not only be felt but also heard ("Ice-Whispering", 2013).
Thomas W. Rieger is an art historian, author, gallery owner and co-initiator of the Approximation Festival in Düsseldorf. Together with the curators Sabine Maria Schmidt and Janine Blöß, the guests will explore the significance of "voices and silence" in contemporary art.
The installation "Ice-Whispering", 2013, as well as other works created there are also part of the exhibition "DAILY SOUNDS ALL AROUND - Akustische Spurensuche von Lebenswelten" (DAILY SOUNDS ALL AROUND - Acoustic Search for Traces of Living Worlds), which can be seen in the Weltkunstzimmer from 13 August - 27 September 2015 and can also be viewed on the evening before the talk.
Thomas Neumann (l.) and Juergen Staack in Yakutsk in cold-resistant equipment
Juergen Staack and Thomas W. Rieger © N.Schlupp 2015
Talk after the talk © N.Schlupp 2015
Sponsored by the Cultural Office of the City of Düsseldorf.
Silence and voices
Juergen Staack and Thomas W. Rieger in conversation with Janine Blöß and Sabine Maria Schmidt
 26 August 2015, 7 pm
Thomas Neumann (l.) and Juergen Staack in Yakutsk in cold-resistant equipment
Juergen Staack and Thomas W. Rieger © N.Schlupp 2015
Talk after the talk © N.Schlupp 2015
In the age of an all-dominant global image culture, Juergen Staack (born 1978) poses the question of image-generating foundations and elements in a completely new way. In his early works, the Düsseldorf artist and former student of Thomas Ruff examined the essence of the visuality of photography. What makes a photograph a picture? What role does the viewer play? Can pictures be described in the same way as photographs? From these questions, he develops abstractions, sound pieces and performances that lead from the descriptive into the narrative image. For example, Staack asked people of different origins to describe photos in their mother tongue while destructively painting over them.
Â
For his works, Staack researches local language traditions that are threatened with extinction worldwide on his numerous journeys through Asia, Europe or Siberia. The cultural traditions and economic survival strategies associated with them are also brought to mind - such as the auction language of Japanese tuna dealers ("Tsukiji", 2010) or the telephone numbers of Chinese day labourers illegally affixed to walls ("Wei", 2012).
Â
In January 2012, Juergen Staack travelled with Thomas Neumann to Siberia, where Staack was on the trail of the phenomenon of "ice whispering", in which extreme cold can not only be felt but also heard ("Ice-Whispering", 2013).
Thomas W. Rieger is an art historian, author, gallery owner and co-initiator of the Approximation Festival in Düsseldorf. Together with the curators Sabine Maria Schmidt and Janine Blöß, the guests will explore the significance of "voices and silence" in contemporary art.
The installation "Ice-Whispering", 2013, as well as other works created there are also part of the exhibition "DAILY SOUNDS ALL AROUND - Akustische Spurensuche von Lebenswelten" (DAILY SOUNDS ALL AROUND - Acoustic Search for Traces of Living Worlds), which can be seen in the Weltkunstzimmer from 13 August - 27 September 2015 and can also be viewed on the evening before the talk.
Sponsored by the Cultural Office of the City of Düsseldorf.