necessary discourse on hysteria (exhibition catalog)

This publication was the first impulse to found an association in the first place. The Koroška Galerija Likovnih Umetnosti (KGLU) invited Rado Carlo Poggi to curate, together with Jernej Kožar an international group exhibition. So far, so good, but as the end of the exhibition period was coming closer, our duties increased once more, due to the production of the documenting DVD and the accompanying catalogue. It became more and more obvious that the budget would not satisfy the needs of proper documentation of this exhibition-project. Furthermore, part of our production team became ill due to the intense times we went through while putting on this show. I found myself with Marko Kovač and some little support from the KGLU, although I actually had to decide on my own, whether we should go on with the production of this catalog or not. As the project was a unique success, vitalizing the gallery spaces with majorly new audiences, lots of them of younger age, I had to decide in favor of this catalog, even when it was very optimistic to do so.

Ansgar Kleine, a young producer from Germany did all the recording for the DVD and all photo materials Marko Kovač. In the following years, both were always anew involved in projects of raum AU.

All the production itself, the layout of the book, the invitation and the collection of texts that should have been included within the printed catalogue was done by raum AU. The KGLU did not have any interest to make some qualitative documentation. They agreed to take over the printing costs. The DVD, that should, other than in usual catalogs, let the artist come to word and make him explain his motivations to participate as well as the message they would like to leave to their audience. It was a first timer DVD, a visual menu was needed, some soundtrack, video cutting and arranging the 5 to 10 minutes each artist, recorded each in their very own artistic world. All intervention have provided English subtitles.

As I pointed out in the beginning, during this time, winter 2008/2009, it was not clear if there would succeed in doing this catalog, not to think about an association, that should change things in Slovenj Gradec during the following years. Who could have ever imagined?!

In the end of a, approx. 2-month working period on the print-catalog, on the content of the DVD as well as on the design of the physical disc to insert, we managed to release this quite unique document. It is able to transport the wonderful dynamic that can be created through art and through focus on the right issues, the right questions. Thanks a lot to the music group Jazoo that contributed the soundtrack, thanks to all, that we could come that far.

The necessary discourse can be seen up to today as an example to follow, nice work!!

Authors that can be read:
Lazslo Glozer, Helmut Schneider, Jernej Kožar, Rado Carlo Poggi, Simon Brycesson, Caroline Wanjiku Kihato, Dr. Peter N. Kirstein, Marko Košan, Ursula Sladek, Špela Spanžel.

Artists that were involved:
Viktor Bernik, Vesna Bukovec, Mukul Deora, FLATZ, Jaša, Ursula Neugebauer, Pino Poggi, Timm Ulrichs, Tanja Vujinovič, Metka Zupanič, Julie Upmeyer.

If you are interested in purchasing this documenting publication, “necessary discourse on hysteria” (incl. DDV with artist-interventions), listed with the ISBN 978-961-91463-5-4, please contact us at startadialog[@]raumau.eu.