Katalin Deér, Jiří Makovec, Caroline Ann Baur & Vanessà Heer: WO WIR

In the exhibition WO WIR (English: WHERE WE) three different projects come together, all of which pursue and question the "genius loci" (latin: spirit of the place) and the institutional "modus operandi" (latin: way of doing things) in an unconstrained and relishable way. In WO WIR, a moment of self-reflection occurs, in which not the design of a new exhibition is tested, but rather the socio-political context in which both artists and institutions operate. The simultaneous juxtaposition of the photographic works of Katalin Deér and Jiří Makovec in the main room, the installation by Caroline Ann Baur and Vanessà Heer, and the investigation of the archive of Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, which will be growing over the course of the exhibition, opens up a manifold space for the conscious perception and investigation of subjective realities. Thus, all projects can be read—in their own way—as an attempt to trace reality and its impact by approaching, distancing from and questioning it.

For years Katalin Deér and Jiří Makovec have been using the camera lens to explore their respective surroundings, investigating the possibilities of the medium as well as the mediated perception of it. For the first time, their practice will be shown in parallel and in dialogue, with a focus on works that bear a geographical proximity to Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen. However, this proximity can also prove to be emotional in nature, or it can present itself as a conceptual and aesthetic construct. Not the immediately visible but the invisible latent is the focus of the second part of the exhibition, in which Caroline Ann Baur and Vanessà Heer explore possibilities of active listening and collective creation. By blending different contexts, collaborations and spaces, they enable a new room for thought, in which questions about the hidden, implicit and in-between echoe.

The archive of Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, which documents its 35 years of exhibition practice and is being made accessible to the public for the first time, will also be perceptible in spatial terms. In examining the historical consciousness, the proven will be exposed to a new uncertainty. Not as an established archive, but as a processual reorganization, changes will become visible during the length of the exhibition: visual material will be digitized, documents will be reinterpreted and questions will be publicly raised. An indication that the overview is not understood as a claim to comprehensibility and linearity, but rather as a workspace and starting point for explorations and re-examinations of the institutional identity.

WO WIR is rooted in a historical time, in which fragilities are made visible and new forces are liberated. This condition has a direct influence on the institutional reality, but also on the production of art. With WO WIR Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen wants to create the basis for an ongoing discussion about its function and the artistic as well as social needs that are currently emerging or have been demanded for some time.

Katalin Deér (*1965, Palo Alto/US) lives and works in St.Gallen/CH. She completed her Master in Fine Arts in 1996 at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK). Solo exhibitions (selection): Pierot Le Fou, Porto/PT (2018); Herzog & de Meuron und REHAB Basel, Basel/CH (2017); Villa Garbald, guest production Bündner Kunstmuseum, Castasegna/CH (2015); Stiftsarchiv, Klosterplatz, St.Gallen/CH (2014); Sleeper, Edinburgh/SCT (2011); Atelier Amden, Amden/CH (2010); Pratt Institute, New York/US (2010); Anthology Film Archives Gallery, New York/US (2000).

Jiří Makovec (*1977, Prague/CZ) lives and works in Zurich/CH. He studied at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU) in Prague/CZ. Solo exhibitions and screenings (selection): ICP Library, New York/US (2019); Riffraff, Zurich/CH (2018); Planeta, New York/US (2016); Spital Heiden, Heiden/CH (2016); Architektur Forum Ostschweiz, St.Gallen/CH (2015); Mouvement Art Public, Montréal/CN (2014); Oslo 8, Basel/CH (2013); Chelsea Market, New York/US (2009); Globe, Prague/CZ (1998); Wakata, Prague/CZ (1998).

Caroline Ann Baur (*1986, St.Gallen/CH) and Vanessà Heer (*1989, St.Gallen/CH) live and work in Zurich/CH. They both completed their Master in Fine Arts (2017 respectively 2018) at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). Caroline Ann Baur is also active as an author and teaches at various Swiss art Universities. Vanessà Heer was nominated for the Kiefer Hablitzel|Göhner Art Prize at the Swiss Art Awards in 2019. Common exhibitions and performative projects (selection): Gessnerallee, Zurich/CH (2020); Reaktor, Zurich/CH (2019); Ausstellungsraum Klingental, Basel/CH (2019); Art Container, Zurich/CH (2018); PTTH://Kunstpavillon, Lucerne/CH (2018); Raum*Station, Kunstraum ZHdK, Zurich/CH (2017).

For further questions please contact Giovanni Carmine (carmine@k9000.ch) or Céline Matter (matter@k9000.ch). 

Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen is supported by Stadt St.Gallen, Kulturförderung Kanton St.Gallen, Swisslos, Martel AG and Kulturförderung Appenzell Ausserrhoden.
The educational programme is made possible by Raiffeisen.

Special thanks to: Architektur Forum Ostschweiz, Triest Verlag, En-lil (Luc Häfliger), Vicini Bau AG, Milva Stutz and Nicolas Buzzi.