| Markus Schinwald |
Vanishing Lessons 14 | 02 | – 13 | 04 | 2009 | ||||||||||||||
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| Invitation booklet download PDF |
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1 Markus Schinwald |
Thematically, the work of Markus Schinwald (*1973 in Salzburg)
centers on the psychological study of space and body, on the
unease and the irrational depths of individual and collective being.
The artist playfully brings together the most diverse media – from
oppressive films to marionette-like sculptures, from reworked historical
paintings to designs of prosthetics and clothing – all subtly
choreographed into a whole. With his films and built spaces,
Markus Schinwald uses fragmentation and disjointed oneiric
sequences to produce surprising gaps in the basic narrative structure
of his works, which leads to extremely aestheticizing images
and crazy shifts of reality levels. With his new series of works for
the Kunsthaus Bregenz, Markus Schinwald will stage a surreal and
panoptic array of insatiable wishes using bodies, objects, films,
and built spaces in what will be his largest solo exhibition in Austria
to date. | ||||||||||||||
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| 1 Markus Schinwald Vanishing Lessons III, 2009 Installation view 3rd floor Kunsthaus Bregenz 2 Markus Schinwald Vanishing Lessons I, 2009 Shot of the rehearsal, 1st floor, Kunsthaus Bregenz 3 Markus Schinwald Vanishing Lessons III, 2009 Installation view 2nd floor, Kunsthaus Bregenz 4 Markus Schinwald Vanishing Lessons III, 2009 Installation view 3rd floor, Kunsthaus Bregenz © Kunsthaus Bregenz |
The sitcom (short for “situational comedy”) is a genre that
originated in the USA and which is found today almost exclusively
in the form of series on television. One typical characteristic of the
classic sitcom is that it is recorded in the studio: the actors perform
on a raree-show-like stage. The storyline is usually limited to a few
sets, which are retained and used over and over. The stage effect
is emphasized through the actors’ performance toward the front of
the stage and by the laughter of the studio guests which the TV
viewers hear. Usually, three cameras positioned in a pit between the
audience and the stage are used: one camera shoots a wide shot
of the action; the other two concentrate on the active characters.
The sequence is later edited using the film material shot of the same
action from three different angles. Due to the trivial nature of the
everyday situations portrayed in this genre, the sitcom has often also been called a “show about nothing.” Because it often addresses
social customs and conventions, neurotic and obsessive behavior,
and the mysterious mechanisms of human relationships, the sitcom
could be categorized as a comedy of manners in episode form. On the first floor of the KUB, the set is a raree-show-like stage,
which uses large mirrored surfaces, a partition wall concealing a
passageway, and a cabinet with a secret door for surprise appearances.
Here the actors perform using the conventional means of
language and gestures. On the second floor, the stage architecture is more open and porous. The space is divided by low partitions that can be used and passed through, and there will also be a nineteenth-century hearse cut in half. The protagonists on this floor will be five dancers. There is no speaking anymore; the sound track consists solely of music. On the third floor, the background stage architecture has virtually disappeared and been replaced by rotatable spatial elements. Gymnastics apparatuses – uneven bars, horizontal bar, vaulting horse, rings, etc. – which have been altered by the artist, are the objects used for acting and exercising by five gymnasts. Language and music have been supplanted here by the sounds made when executing the exercises. |
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Markus Schinwald, born in Salzburg in 1973, lives and works in Vienna and Los Angeles. 1993–2000 University of Design, Linz; Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Exhibitions (selection): Migros Museum, Zurich; ICA Boston (2008); Tate Modern, London; Witte de With, Rotterdam; Kunsthalle Wien (2007); Fotomuseum Winterthur; Berlin Biennial (2006), Frankfurter Kunstverein (2004); Haus der Kunst, Munich (2003); Moderne Museet, Stockholm (2001). Schinwald uses different media and through subtle shifts explores space and the human body and analyzes peoples’ physical and mental shortcomings |
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