Inherited Silence, Extruded Memory. Velden under the Swastika 1938–1945.

Exhibition in public space, Velden, Austria 2021

The research project deals with a dark chapter of the recent history of the municipality of Velden am Woerthersee/Vrba ob Vrbskom jezeru. The victims of National Socialist violence in the community are commemorated. In addition to Velden citizens, representatives of the municipal administration also took part in the atrocities. Be it the expropriation of Jewish property or the creation of black lists used in the deportations of Slovenian people.

 

down below & up on top

Theme-Trail Großfragant, Mölltal/Carinthia, Austria, since 2019

This theme-trail at Großfragant is a project promoted by the EU dedicated to copper mining and alpine farming. Its contents includes the working conditions of the miners, women labour in mining and alpine farming, the huge demand for wood of both branches, the work-intense alpine daily routine of  dairymaids, shepherds mountain meadows, the dangerous transport of copper ore and hay as well as the crisis of alpine cultivation. Fairytale listening stations and artistic installations make the "down below & up on top" trail a unique experience.

Measuring. About the "Racial" Examination at St Jakob/Rosental.  

Exhibition in St Jakob, Rosental, Austria 2018

The exhibition located in a former cinema deals with the question for which purpose the inhabitants of the primarily Slovenian speaking community St Jakob in Rosenthal were "racially" investigated already a few months after the "connection" in March 1938. The "racial scientists" worked with all imaginable categorisations to legitimate the "types of race" constructed in such a manner. The endeavour to draw clear lines between the "German" and "foreign" population was also a central element of the foldome policy operated by the National Socialists. In this exhibition also current positions to "the own" and "the alien", to modern racism find consideration.

 

Vacant Rooms. The Development of ’Alien Care’ in Carinthia.

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Exhibition at Museum Villach, Austria 2018
 

Since the late 1970ies travel habits fundamentally changed. In Carinthia "holidays with friends" were increasingly removed by the joy for exotic surroundings. By cheap flights and holiday packages as well as steady sunshine more and more tourists were attracted to visit remote areas. "Event holidays" in exchangable hotels and clubs where one could enjoy sunbathing and all imaginable convenience all year round let the specific culture and the landscape charm of the destination lose its importance. Or they served as a staffage of an "event culture" getting more popular trying to fight the lacking bed occupancy rate.

The Art of Forgetting.

Exhibition at "Gallery Freihausgasse",  Villach, Austria 2015

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The exhibition "Art of Forgetting" deals with artists who felt committed to the Nazi aesthetic. Some of them started their artistic careers during the Nazi era, which continued unhindered after 1945. The term "degenerate art" used by the Nazis was replaced after 1945 by the fighting formula "dirt and trash," with which former Nazi artists ruthlessly opposed modernism in postwar Austria. 

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The historical part of the exhibition occupies with the aspects of the Carinthian art scene during National Socialism and the first post-war decades. Contemporary artists approach art events under National Socialism in different ways. The contributions deal with the National Socialist art aesthetics, selected artists, their artistic works and the mechanisms in the art business.

By Amicable Agreement. Antisemitism and NS-Jewish Policiy at the District of Villach
 
Exhibition in public space, city centre of Villach, Austria 2014

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The exhibition shows individual fates of the Jewish population in the district of Villach. Shortly after the end of the First World War, German nationalist associations and organizations also fomented anti-Semitism in Villach. For example, the Villach section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club had already introduced the Aryan paragraph into its statutes in 1920, and one year later Jewish citizens were forbidden to enter the Alpine Club huts. The German nationalist press, for its part, invoked the "free of Jews " summer resort and agitated against Jews on Carinthia's lakes.

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The anti-Semitic agitation culminated in targeted violence against the Jewish population immediately after the Nazis came to power. The Jews of Villach were robbed of their stores, businesses and homes. The November pogrom of 1938 was one of the peaks of anti-Jewish riots in Villach as well.

To the Sea. The History of Adraitic Holidays.
 

Exhibition at Museum Villach, Austria 2012

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The project "To the Sea” focused on the discovery of the Upper Adriatic as a vacation destination. Beginning with the nobility and the bourgeoisie, who travelled to the Adriatic as early as 1900, to the mass influx from the 1950s onward, the content spans an arc that vividly brings the audience closer to a special vacation history by means of interviews, Italian hits and travel souvenirs. In addition, the exhibition deals with the usually tingling experience of border traffic and smuggling trips in times before Austria joined the European Union in 1995.

Contributions to Regionale XII. Festival for Contemporary Art and Culture in Styria, Austria.

Exhibitions "No country more beautiful. NS-victims in Murau" (Museum Murau) &  "Where we find ourselves" (Museum Krakaudorf), 2012

The exhibition "No country more beautiful. NS-victims in Murau" is dedicated to the history of two Jewish families, the "Gypsy" labor camp and the situation of forced labourers in the district of Murau. An audio piece play as well as interventions in public space serve to deepen the topics mentioned.

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The exhibition "Where we find ourselves" contains the analysis of continuities and ruptures of the region, which have been strongly shaping the development of tourism. Folk cultural phenomena that were not infrequently geared to be engines of tourism are brought to the fore. Contemporary art positions review this area of conflict and enlarge the "classic" contents of the Museum Krakaudorf.

We all belonged here... . About the Jewish Family Scharfberg in Eisenkappel.

Exhibition Forum Zarja, Bad Eisenkappel, Austria 2008

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Slovenian Cultural Association Zarah (Bad Eisenkappel), the project was dedicated to the Jewish Scharfberg family, who had run a textile store in Eisenkappel. After the German annexation of Austria on March 12, 1938, the family had to flee the country. Their possessions were confiscated, so that they had to build a new existence in Palestine completely penniless. Thirteen descendants of the family from Israel and the United States were present at the opening of the exhibition in Eisenkappel.

My Generation 1968–2008. Awakening at the Province?

Exhibition at Interspar, Villach, Austria 2008

The exhibition "My Generation 1968 - 2008. Awakening in the Province?" was shown in the fall of 2008 on the upper floor of the Interspar store in Villach on an area of 1000 square meters. The exhibition dealt with a time of massive social upheaval and the emergence of alternative ways of life. In addition to the historical reappraisal of this time in Carinthia, there was a juxtaposition of youthful lifestyles of today with the ideals of the '68 generation of yesterday.

Baby Aboard. Passing the 20th Century by Buggy.

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Exhibition at Wien Museum, 2007
 

Today, the baby carriage is a familiar everyday object in the street scene. It seems so familiar, as if it had always been there. In fact, the history of the baby carriage is relatively recent. Invented around 1850, its mass production in Austria began in the second half of the 19th century. Parallel to the development of the baby carriage, the exhibition tells of gender-specific role assignments and power relations of men and women.

The Uncle from America. Departing into a New World.

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Exhibition in public space, Villach, Austria 2014

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Growing migration has become an omnipresent topic. By stirring up irrational fears and strengthening existing prejudices, political arsonists try to make political change. The exhibition "The Uncle from America" can be seen as a contribution to the objectification of the migration discussion. Carinthian migration flows to North America were historically examined. The Carinthians who tried their luck on the other side of the Atlantic were mostly "economic refugees" or asylum seekers trying to escape material hardship or political distress.

Hotly Embattled, Wildly Disputed. Historic Myths in Red White Red.

Exhibition at Museum Villach, Austria 2005

The exhibition shed light on the democratization process of Austrian and especially Carinthian society after 1945 from different perspectives. It dealt with the reconstruction of the country, dealing with war returnees and victims of National Socialism, the denazification of society and the attitude towards the Carinthian Slovenes. Historical myths, such as the thesis of Austria as the first victim of Hitler's Germany, were questioned. 

All Dobratsch.

Exhibition in the Town Hall and at the Town Hall Square, Villach, Austria 2002

For a long time, fear and superstition determined the relationship between man and mountain. A profound change in the understanding of nature changed the view of the mountains around 1800. Once the Dobratsch had been discovered as a worthwhile excursion destination in the course of the romantic enthusiasm, its appearance was soon characterized by crosses and churches, shelters and restaurants, lifts and ski slopes, viewing roads and broadcast towers. The exhibition "All Dobratsch" documents from a scientific and artistic perspective the multifaceted cultural history of "Villach's local mountain", in which many personal everyday experiences and stories of the people are reflected.

Workshop Villach 1900-2000. Work and Spare Time in Transition.

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Exhibition at the train station  "Westbahnhof", Villach, Austria 2000

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The presentation on the grounds of the train station “Westbahnhof” in Villach showed the social history of the Drau city over the past 100 years. The historical arc spanned from industrialization to the present. Special attention was paid to the changing working conditions and lifestyles of people from different social milieus. The workshop was conceived as a place of production, of constant development, comparable to the course of history - never pausing, always in motion.
 

The railroad played a central role for the city of Villach on its eventful path to modernity. The task of conceiving an exhibition for the public space was also appealing. In its extended function, the train station became a showroom accessible 24 hours a day.

Further Projects(selection):

Memory traditions of the province of Carinthia are a recurring theme of VIA projects.

Footnote:
In 2002, the Carinthian Defense Fighters Association had a monument erected in Villach, on which Villach's National Socialist mayor Oskar Kraus was immortalized. As a reaction to the questionable monument, the publication "Ein korrekter Nazi" ("A Correct Nazi") appeared in 2006. Based on the research results of this publication, the "Footnote" was placed in 2020 as a content supplement to the monument.

Museum Peršmanhof:
Establishment of the Museum Peršmanhof as a place of remembrance and learning, focusing on the persecution and resistance of the Carinthian Slovenes with special reference to the murdered Peršman family, Bad Eisenkappel, 2012.