From December 1 to January 24, 2010, the Austrian Cultural Forum NY is showing a selection of videos of Austrian origin from the 1990s to the present. The opening reception as well as a panel discussion with Gerald Bast, Paul Divjak, Thomas Draschan and Gerald Matt take place on November 30, from 5pm – 8pm at the ACFNY, 11 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022. Admission is free.

The ursula blickle videoarchiv of the Kunsthalle Wien consists of several thousand videos focusing on video art from Austria. Three jurors – Massimiliano Gioni, Sabine Himmelsbach, and Ian White – selected about 50 of the best works for the exhibition that is currently on view in Vienna. Many of these works have a socially critical background and challenge political and cultural conditions of our time. With ironic commentary and absurd methods, viewers are invited to break with paradigms and embrace fresh new modes of seeing. Many moments of surprise also bear witness to the inherently subversive character of Austrian art production. These recurrent themes form the basis of the videos chosen for the screenings at the Austrian Cultural Forum in New York.

Participating Artists: Renate Bertlmann, Paul Divjak, Thomas Draschan, Tomas Eller, Rainer Ganahl, Nicolas Jasmin, Anna Jermolaewa, Leopold Kessler, Rudolf Polanszky, Gerwald Rockenschaub, Hubert Sielecki, Erwin Wurm and others.

Exhibition Design by Balam Bartolomé

Curated by Gerald Matt, Andreas Stadler & Angela Stief