Occupying the front of the Salzamt, the new flagship art institution in Linz, Austria parasitically for a week, this red and black banner pronounces a pseudo-political declaration to the city. Originally conceived as a comment on the Salzamt’s position in relation to grassroots art activity, or ‘free scene’ in Linz, the banner aimed to problematise the status of this new art institution and our roles within it as international resident artists. Having undergone a renovation costing in excess of 3 million Euro, displacing a self-initiated group of local artists who were previously using the derelict building with a new elite group of selected regional and International artists the Salzamt can be considered far from ‘free’ in any financial or ideological sense.
As the debate of the day shifts from one cause to another so too does the reading of the banner; whilst it could be taken as a comment on the institution that it occupies, equally its enigmatic but self-assured nature could be read as a metaphor for the myth-like status of Linz’s ‘free scene’. Furthermore, having been erected during a turbulent week of resistance and celebration in which ideas of freedom and liberty were central - including the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the legal trials of the anti-fascist demonstrators arrested in Linz on May Day 2009, and the student occupation of Universities internationally - the FREE banner with its ambiguous message and transferable application could be quickly assimilated in to a host of political causes. The ineffectual nature of this protest mirrors our position as temporary visiting artists, grappling with a series of political endeavours from which we are essentially removed.
Further details:
Visit our blog page about this residency
Further information about this exhibition