Between June 4th and 21st, the "Bunkier Sztuki" Gallery ("Art Bunker" Gallery) in Krakow will host a presentation about the city of Vienna from a variety of perspectives, including the historical, artistic, social, technological and futuristic. The presentation will consist of three exhibitions: WIEDENCZYCY W OBRAZACH / THE VIENNESE IN IMAGES, WIEDEN - PRZYJAZNE DLA SRODOWISKA TECHNOLOGIE MIEJSKIE / VIENNA - ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY MUNICIPAL TECHNOLOGIES and BEST OF EUROPEAN CITIES: OGOLNE PROBLEMY - LOKALNE ROZWIAZANIA / GENERAL PROBLEMS - LOCAL SOLUTIONS.
THE VIENNESE IN IMAGES was first shown in its present form in 2001 at the gallery of the Vienna Municipal Cultural Department (Museum auf Abruf) as part of a series of modern art exhibitions inspired by sites and phenomena that help to build the city's image.
The presentation at the "Art Bunker" will afford audiences a view of the Viennese in their daily situations. The display includes many portraits, but there will also be reportage-style images and spontaneous moments caught on film. The curators' intention was to highlight the similarities between how contemporary photographers see the city and its inhabitants and how Vienna and those who call it home were described in the plays of Johann Nestroy (1801-1862). The idea for this comparison came with the first presentation of the show, which coincided with the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of the well-known Viennese playwright. In his plays, Nestroy generally portrayed the Viennese with warm irony. The images of the city and its inhabitants selected from the Collection of the City of Vienna for the exhibition seem to embody a mood similar to that of Nestroy's plays. Though most of the photographers could not admit to being inspired by the playwright's works, the exhibition suggests that the author's spirit lives on among contemporary artists, and that the Viennese and their city have preserved much of their character from two hundred years ago.
THE VIENNESE IN IMAGES will include works by 19 artists, including Andreas Baumann, Heinz Cibulka, Sepp Dreissinger, Marianne Greber, Franz Hubmann, Leo Kandl, Nikolaus Korab, Barbara Krobath, Ernst Logar, Reinhard Mandl, Marcelo Perocco, Josef Polleross, Cora Pongracz, Willy Puchner, Didi Sattmann, Curt Stenvert, Christian Wachter, Harry Weber and Flora Zimmeter.
Another exhibition, this one titled WIEDEN - PRZYJAZNE DLA SRODOWISKA TECHNOLOGIE MIEJSKIE / VIENNA - ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY MUNICIPAL TECHNOLOGIES, presents various methods for resolving the environmental problems that inevitably arise with the provision of municipal services. The exhibition is composed of a series of sections that focus on specific subjects, including Vienna as a place for business, air and noise, green areas and bodies of water, potable water, ground water, sewage, waste management, inherited contaminants, communication, energy management, investor services, and information services/contacts.
What is the cultural range of European cities of today? How can they meet the economic, social and environmental challenges they face? What can we learn by the example of other cities? Where do we look for model solutions?
In an effort to answer these and other questions, seven European cities (Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, London, Munich, Vienna and Zurich) established a program of cooperation designed to foster exchanges of experience and information. The first tangible result of the program comes in the form of the exhibition BEST OF EUROPEAN CITIES: GENERAL PROBLEMS - LOCAL SOLUTIONS, in which participating cities present their problems and the models they applied in resolving them. The problems presented span the entire range of areas, from urban development and municipal technologies through municipal transport and communications to municipal communities and culture. The exhibition includes an array of interesting and often unique solutions under the heading "What's Cool." The purpose of the exhibit is to present European cities in their current state and to encourage discussion about perspectives for the future.
Exhibition opening: June 3, 2003, 5 p.m.
"Bunkier Sztuki" Gallery
pl. Szczepański 3 a, 31-011 Kraków
tel. (+48 12) 422 40 21, 422 10 52, 421 38 40
fax (+48 12) 422 83 03
www.bunkier.com.pl