In the context of many twentieth-century artists who understood
how to actively take part in the shaping of society, WochenKlausur sees
art as an opportunity for achieving long-term improvements in human
coexistence. Artists' competence, traditionally utilized in shaping
materials, can just as well be applied in all areas of society: in
ecology, education, city planning etc.
Theoretically, there is no difference between artists who do their best
to paint pictures and those who do their best to solve social problems
with clearly fixed boundaries.
Since 1993 and on invitation from different art institutions, the Vienna based artist group WochenKlausur develops concrete proposals aimed at small, but nevertheless effective improvements to socio-political deficiencies. Proceeding even further and invariably translating these proposals into action, artistic creativity is no longer seen as a formal act but as an intervention into society.
The prerequisite for every intervention is the invitation of an art institution, which provides WochenKlausur with an infrastructural framework and cultural capital. The exhibition space itself serves as a studio from which the intervention is conducted.
Rarely have art institutions approached WochenKlausur with a specific request. It is up to the group to inform themselves about local political circumstances and propose corresponding interventions before the project's start. After extensive research, the group makes a final decision concerning what is in fact to be accomplished. Through its work, WochenKlausur would like to show that certain human living conditions do not necessarily have to be the way they are.
Four examples out of 24 successfully realized projects:
1993 Healthcare for Homeless People * Vienna Secession (A)
The first WochenKlausur project succeeded in making medical care available to homeless people. Since then a mobile clinic has provided care to more than 600 patients monthly free of charge.
1996 Social Service in Deportation Detention * Salzburger Kunstverein (A)
WochenKlausur created a coordinating agency that provides social and legal services to the inmates in deportation detention at the Salzburg Police Detention Center. Since then the facility´s conditions have become more humane.
1999 Language Schools in Refugee Camps * Venice Biennial (I)
In view of the catastrophic effects of the war in the Balkans and the precarious situation of hundreds of thousands of Kosovarian refugees WochenKlausur has set up language schools for the schoolchildren who lived in refugee camps in Macedonia and Kosovo.
2005 Furnishing Social Institutions *Smart Museum & University of Chicago (USA)
Invited by the Smart Museum and the University of Chicago WochenKlausur developed an initiative for reusing materials discarded by cultural institutions like museums, galleries or theaters. The usable items have been converted by students at design institutes into furnishings and everyday objects that can be used by social institutions.
Since 1993 and on invitation from different art institutions, the Vienna based artist group WochenKlausur develops concrete proposals aimed at small, but nevertheless effective improvements to socio-political deficiencies. Proceeding even further and invariably translating these proposals into action, artistic creativity is no longer seen as a formal act but as an intervention into society.
The prerequisite for every intervention is the invitation of an art institution, which provides WochenKlausur with an infrastructural framework and cultural capital. The exhibition space itself serves as a studio from which the intervention is conducted.
Rarely have art institutions approached WochenKlausur with a specific request. It is up to the group to inform themselves about local political circumstances and propose corresponding interventions before the project's start. After extensive research, the group makes a final decision concerning what is in fact to be accomplished. Through its work, WochenKlausur would like to show that certain human living conditions do not necessarily have to be the way they are.
Four examples out of 24 successfully realized projects:
1993 Healthcare for Homeless People * Vienna Secession (A)
The first WochenKlausur project succeeded in making medical care available to homeless people. Since then a mobile clinic has provided care to more than 600 patients monthly free of charge.
1996 Social Service in Deportation Detention * Salzburger Kunstverein (A)
WochenKlausur created a coordinating agency that provides social and legal services to the inmates in deportation detention at the Salzburg Police Detention Center. Since then the facility´s conditions have become more humane.
1999 Language Schools in Refugee Camps * Venice Biennial (I)
In view of the catastrophic effects of the war in the Balkans and the precarious situation of hundreds of thousands of Kosovarian refugees WochenKlausur has set up language schools for the schoolchildren who lived in refugee camps in Macedonia and Kosovo.
2005 Furnishing Social Institutions *Smart Museum & University of Chicago (USA)
Invited by the Smart Museum and the University of Chicago WochenKlausur developed an initiative for reusing materials discarded by cultural institutions like museums, galleries or theaters. The usable items have been converted by students at design institutes into furnishings and everyday objects that can be used by social institutions.
