The most important thing in art is the frame.
Because without this frame we would see nothing.Robert Musil
In Vienna's Gerngross, Ladislav Černý unfolds his UNVERHÜLLTE GEGENWART, a rebellion against indifference, an invitation to see as if it were the first time. Art that breaks the mold to force us to look, to really look. Come, see, understand.
In the 140-year-old halls of the traditional department store Gerngross in Vienna, where consumerism once threatened to devour culture, a resurrection of art is now taking place, orchestrated by the BURN-IN Gallery, conceiving the exhibition UNVERHÜLLTE GEGENWART for the Slovakian artist Ladislav Černý. A bold undertaking that inscribes itself into the architecture of the consumer temples, transforming them, no longer just a place to buy, but to pause, to see, to experience. And what is experienced is nothing less than a revelation - a revelation of Černý's world that forces us not to close our eyes to the present, but to look at it, exposed and unveiled.
A quote by Robert Musil stands at the center of this constellation of space, art and viewer: "The most important thing in art is the frame. For without this frame we would see nothing." Musil, the master of blurring, points out that the context, the frame in which we perceive art, is essential, almost as important as the artwork itself. Černý's exhibition at BURN-IN in Gerngross, a place laden with the connotations of the commercial, the everyday, now forms this frame that casts art in a new light. The frame here is not just physical - the golden border around a picture - but metaphorical, a social, cultural context that surrounds and permeates the works, giving them meaning.
Vernissage
BURN-IN invites you to the exhibition opening on 18. April 2024 6 pm.
Location
BURN-IN Galerie im Gerngross 2. OG | 1070 Vienna, Mariahilfer Straße 42-48
Cerný's works - there are more than twenty large formats and several sculptures on display in the show - including the remarkable ensemble Nemesis, where a bathtub filled with bullet casings communicates in dialog with the expressive large format, Discourse with Hermann Nitsch or the Boxer - speak of a deep engagement with the human, the archetypal, the existential. They reflect life and death, love and suffering, the eternal polarities of our existence. In these works, which have already resonated in the sacred silence of the synagogue in Nitra and in the artistic dialog with the Slovakian art scene at the Montez Family Art Association in Frankfurt, there is a language that goes beyond words. Černý speaks in colors, in forms, in materials - acrylic, wood, steel - and in every decision, every brushstroke, every hammer blow lies a meaning, a comment, a question.
These works, powerful in their statement, explosive in their coloring, monumental in their form, are not only objects of contemplation, but participants in a discourse that Černý wants to conduct with us, the viewers. They force us to question the framework in which we see them - not only the physical framework of the Gerngross, but also the framework of our own perception, our prejudices, our cultural and historical imprints.
The UNVERHÜLLTE GEGENWART is therefore more than an exhibition; it is an event, an intervention in space and time. By presenting his works in such an unconventional setting, Černý breaks with the conventions of the art world and invites us to do the same. He reminds us that art can be anywhere, that the frame we give it can either constrict or liberate it. In the rooms of the Gerngross, we see Černý's works anew - not as isolated objects, but as living participants in an ongoing, necessary conversation about what it means to be human in our time, in our world.
Just as Musil recognized the frame as essential to seeing, Černý recognizes it as essential to understanding. In UNVERVERHÜLLTE GEGENWART, this frame not only becomes visible, but itself becomes the object of reflection, the means of knowledge. Through the bold choice of location and the careful curation of the works, BURN-IN invites us to see the frame anew, to question it and ultimately to understand that art - and life - is always a question of context, of the framework in which we experience it.
#KunstTRANSFER
Atypical spaces, global political situations, unveiled presences.
As a gallery owner who has the courage to take unconventional paths, it is a real pleasure and enrichment to work with artists like Ladislav Černý - artists who dare to experiment and push the boundaries of the ordinary, in short, who dare to present their art in atypical spaces.
Černý, whose work could undoubtedly find a place in the world's most renowned museums, dares to take the bold step into Vienna's traditional department store without losing his artistic integrity. He proves that true art is not afraid of the everyday, but rather has the power to transform and redefine this space. The chosen quote from Musil - "The most important thing in art is the frame. For without this frame we would see nothing." - perfectly reflects the philosophy behind our current exhibition UNVERHÜLLTE GEGENWART. It underlines the importance of context and impressively demonstrates that the use of a shopping mall frequented by thousands of visitors as a contemporary art venue influences and enriches the perception of the artworks themselves.
I have had the privilege of working with Černý since 2019. In all presentations, we created spaces that sparked the dialog between art and viewer again and again. It is a pleasure and an incentive to be able to work side by side with such a courageous mastermind, expressive painter, strong sculptor and last but not least friend and to inspire the audience.
