Otobong Nkanga / Anna Boghiguian

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Kunsthaus Bregenz is celebrating its 25th anniversary with an exhibition in Venice. Two artists, who can also be seen in Bregenz during 2022, in the form of major solo exhibitions, are being presented in the Scuola di San Pasquale on Campo San Francesco della Vigna. In their works both Otobong Nkanga and Anna Boghiguian address such current issues as our responsibilities as a society for life on Earth and its climate, exploitative abuses, and historical accountability. A unique space for the exhibition has been found in Scuola di San Pasquale. The cuboidal space and fall of light in this historic, 17th-century building create an environment similar to the architecture of Peter Zumthor’s Kunsthaus Bregenz. In the glazed concrete building in Bregenz, daylight is able to atmospherically penetrate all the floors, while in the Scuola light enters the simple and elegant spaces through large windows. In Bregenz as in Venice, the artists fill the entire building, creating exhibitions that continue KUB’s spectacular history.

A newly created tapestry by Otobong Nkanga is situated on the ground floor of the Scuola, titled Tied to th Other Side. The tapestry shimmers, a multicolored, impressionist blue. It has been fabricated on a Dornier weaving machine at TextielMuseum in Tilburg, in the Netherlands, following the artist’s drawings. “It’s important for me to work on the correlation of worlds that are visible to worlds that are not. My works move between the non-visible and the non-tangible to places that are concrete, places that awaken the senses: touch, smell, sight, sound.” states Nkanga. For the entry and the baroque altarpiece at the center of the exhibition space Otobong Nkanga has also developed a new sound work. Employing her own voice, she addresses the life of plants and the exploitation of nature.

Anna Boghiguian, whose work is on display on the upper floor, has painted historical figures on cardboard, assembling them into an oversized chess game. It is a remarkable work in that all its protagonists are of Austrian origin—a bizarre panopticon of political ideas and conflicts. This new work by Anna Boghiguian will also be on view at Kunsthaus Bregenz in late fall 2022.

Program
Kunsthaus Bregenz is taking the opportunity in Venice of presenting its outstanding history of exhibitions. During the first days of the opening, KUB Director Thomas D. Trummer will be hosting a series of talks with selected artists and other prominent figures from the art world. The events are taking place in the spaces of Scuola di San Pasquale.

Opening
Wednesday, April 20, 5–9pm

Artist’s talk: Otobong Nkanga and Peter Zumthor
Friday, April 22, 6:30pm
Otobong Nkanga and KUB architect Peter Zumthor are talking about art and architecture.

Artist’s talk: Monira Al Qadiri
Saturday, April 23, 6:30pm
A talk with artist Monira Al Quadiri about her wide-ranging and interdisciplinary practice.

Artist’s talk: Dora Budor
Sunday, April 24, 6:30pm
For her current solo exhibition, the artist is literally exploring the fundamentals of Kunsthaus Bregenz. In Venice, Dora Budor is participating in the Biennale exhibition The Milk of Dreams.

Directorsʼ talk: Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev and Thomas D. Trummer
Monday, April 25, 6:30pm
A talk between directors: Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev heads the Museo di Arte Contemporanea at Castello di Rivoli as well as Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (GAM) in Turin, while Thomas D. Trummer is Director of Kunsthaus Bregenz.

Free admission. No registration required.