Installation on the terrace of Kunsthalle Wien
Augustas Serapinas is interested in the hidden places within public institutions and institutional structures. In his work, the overlooked shifts to the center and the details become the subject.
For his installation Sigi on the terrace of Kunsthalle Wien, an object from the office of the chief financial officer serves as a starting point. A found box that imitates the shape of a cat in a childlike manner is the model for his large-scale installation, which potentially becomes a space for teamwork. In a humorous way, Augustas Serapinas draws attention to the fact that the work of the institution is built on social co-operation behind the scenes. The seemingly random object from an office space of Kunsthalle Wien is linked to a personal narrative, which the artist brings into public space in an oversized way. Visibly placed on the roof terrace, the installation becomes the temporary icon of the institution. The original cat-shaped box through Augustas Serapinas’ translation turns into a workspace located within a container, that can be used for meetings at selected times. The manipulation of spaces and places is a central interest of Augustas Serapinas, whose artistic practice repeatedly questions what is presented to us as reality. He twists the logics of (art) institutions and transforms the seemingly trivial and secondary, especially personal, aspects to the work, thereby elevating them to the status of a work of art. He also analyses the mechanisms within the art system that makes an object an artwork. Sigi directs consideration of the activities behind the presentation. By constructing a space, which is both an object of art and a meeting place at once, he creates a humorous symbol for a way to work together.
Thu 18/5 2017, 6 pm
Opening within the framework of the MQ summer opening
Meeting point at the entrance of Kunsthalle Wien