Kunsthalle Wien

With Eva Egermann, Thomas Geiger, Elke Silvia Krystufek, Rade Petrasevic, Margot Pilz, Johanna Tinzl …

So what is this “investigation known as kissing” actually? Which secrets are we prying off each other? What happens when fluids, bugs, and viruses mix in an act of love? And how can we conquer the cosmos when kissing is no longer allowed or safe? Küssen verboten? Bussi baba? And if we are already at it: Who is allowed to kiss? And where? And when?

KISS presents a series of artistic contributions and works, commissioned by Kunsthalle Wien. The artists Eva Egermann, Thomas Geiger, Elke Silvia Krystufek, Rade Petrasevic, Margot Pilz, Johanna Tinzl … are invited to engage in an act of social and cultural intimacy in the city and to realize projects that reduce the distance between contemporary art practices and their audiences.

The first chapter of KISS took place throughout the summer and autumn of 2020 with contributions by Eva Egermann, Thomas Geiger, Margot Pilz, and Johanna Tinzl. In spring 2021, a second chapter is about to start comprising an intervention in public space by Rade Petrasevic and a new issue of Crip Magazine produced by Eva Egermann. The loose temporality of the whole project follows the rhythm of the works and humans involved and is attuned to a pandemic that has very much subverted our sense and use of time.

Their works unfold from the current conditions and consequences of physical distancing, when all the power and potential embodied in the kiss seems to dissipate in awkwardness and insecurity and also the meaning of public space itself has been undergoing a complex transformation.

Therefore these projects will be presented in different urban situations and varying formats. By adding existing sites, artifacts, and narratives of cultural significance to its parcours, KISS expands on the traditional exhibition narrative, encouraging viewers to set off on an exploration of art, culture, and history in public space. The realized projects will be celebrated through an accompanying program. KISS will be communicated and regularly updated on this website as well as on our Facebook and Instagram channel.

Kunsthalle Wien curatorial team: Laura Amann • Anne Faucheret • Aziza Harmel • WHW