The Kunsthalle Krems presents Miracles, Art, Science and Religion, an exhibition on view 04. March 2012 to 01. July 2012.
The miracle is a concept that breaks through boundaries. This exhibition makes use of its explosive potential, following the traces of the miraculous in different disciplines and throughout different periods in history. Centered around works of contemporary art, the show examines what falls out of the normal framework of our world: from inexplicable healing, the incredible spectacle of nature, the enigmatic world of different cultures, the effects of unexpected technical innovations, unusual ideas in art and even mere coincidence.
The objects from all areas of society show the extent to which Christian religion and ancient philosophy have shaped our conception of the miracle. Within this contextualization, miracles could be understood as openings in the given fabric of the world, through which art, science and technology then emerged. While the latter two are more oriented towards specific purposes and goals, art is characterized by a much larger degree of freedom ultimately to shape this opening and thus to create a space for discussion.
The exhibition looks at the miracle from both from an intellectual and aesthetic perspective with around 50 artists’ positions (incl. Francis Alÿs, Joseph Beuys, Dara Birnbaum, Jonathan Horowitz, Helmut & Johanna Kandl, Martin Kippenberger & Albert Oehlen, Terence Koh, Ingeborg Lüscher, Katharina Sieverding, Roman Signer, Thomas Struth, Franz West or Erwin Wurm) and equally as many exhibits from the spheres of religion, science and everyday use (the “Wunderwaffe” V2, votive images, ghost’s hands, acts of beatification, perpetuum mobile, Goethe’s magic box, sculptures of saints, relics, etc.).
With the unique combination of scientific-technical and religious miracles in the West contrasted with views from other cultures, the tenuousness of our ability to determine the meaning of things becomes evident.
The exhibition is made possible through collaboration with the Deichtorhallen Hamburg and the Siemens Foundation.
The Kunsthalle Krems is an international exhibition house in the Federal State of Lower Austria. Its programme spans 19th-century art, classical modernism and contemporary art, its main focus being on 20th and 21st-century art. – www.kunsthalle.at
