Isabel Czerwenka-Wenkstetten
foreign affairs Austria-USA
www.artsqueeze.com, May 4th, 2009
Five Questions for Isabel Czerwenka-Wenkstetten and Leslie Fry
Posted by Megan Voeller
Tuesday evening marks the public debut of a collaborative project between St. Petersburg-based artist Leslie Fry and Austrian artist Isabel Czerwenka-Wenkstetten at the Studio@620. The pair met via email and Skype earlier this year then teamed up for an intense, ten-day collaboration in St. Petersburg. During Tuesday’s opening reception (6-9 p.m.), visitors are invited to peruse the resulting artwork and play an interactive game while enjoying Austrian and American food and introductions by three speakers: Andreas Stadler, Austrian Cultural Forum New York; Wallace Wilson, Director, College of the Arts, University of South Florida; and Erika Greenberg-Schneider, Owner and Master Printer of Bleu Acier Inc., Tampa.
Hoping to spawn more cross-cultural connections out of their own, Czerwenka-Wenkstetten and Fry say the reception is an opportunity to network and encounter other perspectives. Their collaboration continues in the fall when Vienna’s Windspiel Galerie will showcase their work. Over the weekend, both artists offered thoughts about their collaboration by email.
Artsqueeze: How did you both meet and decide to collaborate?
Isabel Czerwenka-Wenkstetten: I researched in the area who did interesting work, so I searched the internet, and Jorge Vidal at the Arts Center, among others, mentioned Leslie Fry. So I researched her. And I like her work, I love the aesthetics and background she works with. So I called her from Europe and told her about the project. That was in September, I guess. Then some emails, and soon Leslie gave her OK to that exploration.
Leslie Fry: It was great to get Isabel‘s call out of the blue. The words „collaboration“ and „international“ were all I needed to hear to say yes right away -- more ways to expand my vision, content, process, and audience.
What were the ten days like that you spent working together?
ICW: Honestly: exciting, scary, unproductive, productive, disturbing, motivating, surprising and inspiring! We mainly worked in Leslie’s studio in St. Pete, which gave a great frame for our activities. It is a bright, peaceful place. It was also useful to withdraw sometimes, work from home and Skype to keep in touch before getting together again. Stopping working on the project was a challenge. One topic led to the other, we had to say „stop“ at some point. However, we hope we also get the chance to do more work in Austria in October, before we have an exhibition in the Viennese gallery Windspiel-Galerie. That will depend on our funds of course. We are discussing sponsorships from the city of Vienna, State of Austria and US Embassy right now.
LF: Intense, obviously, to work with someone you don‘t know (other than a few Skype calls and e-mails) and there was no pre-conceived plan -- just trusting in the mutual bond of making art as the start and basis of communication. It was good to have a limited time period or it would have been hard to stop (though the collaboration will continue in Vienna). The first few days flowed with the excitement of making connections conceptually and working back and forth with our different methods with media. Later there was an overwhelming factor of too many directions to go in with not enough time for resolution. Some of our different approaches were hard for me when time was growing short, but we both have always kept the spirit of collaboration true throughout our process. The whole experience has been deepening. I had to work outside my usual patterns, I had to think about some things I‘d rather not, and create in a responsive and enlarging way. Isabel is an incredible artist, and there was no problem in working through hard parts as well as all the joyful connections we discovered.
How would you describe the final result of your collaboration?
ICW: Megan, that is a good question. Let‘s start with the „for now“ before the final. Physically, the result of our collaboration is a series of works, and stations, a delicate broad horizon of elements: paintings on the wall, words, video, collages, a print on the floor. History and present of both our countries of origin are a strong element in it. They are getting digested. And they transform and change to become a well-based future. So I can say, the result of our collaboration so far is collection of elements, a contribution to a good „now“ and „tomorrow“. However, the secret of a good collaboration is always that it leaves a potential for the future, too. And I feel this one clearly does.
LF: Right, there is no final. We will continue in October in Vienna and see what influences occur there. Whatever happens during our one evening event at Studio@620 will be material that will contribute to the collaboration as well, so come one come all and participate! Another unplanned aspect of collaboration is the opportunity from Bob Devin-Jones to let all of this happen at Studio@620-- truly a place where all forms of art can come together.
Isabel, cross-cultural collaborations seem to play a big role in your work (specifically, the on-going project called Foreign Affairs). How was this collaboration different from others you’ve undertaken?
ICW: Yes, Foreign Affairs took me get in closer touch with wonderful artists from Nigeria, Mexico and Thailand. Together, we could explore our common and differences, a very strengthening journey that is from which new emerges. This collaboration was very special, as it got me more to look into the partly not-great-at-all history of Austria and in the history of my family too. But I am especially grateful to be able to work with Leslie here, because she has a very differentiated view on the US and takes her responsibility as a citizen very seriously. In a gentle and active way she works in art and life in order to contribute to the common productive. It is a fascinating experience for me to encounter her working in the framework of a powerful mighty and huge country and myself from a little one, only a bit more then 8 million people. And we have common interests and can put our strengths together to create new fruitful work. Yes, big country, big challenges—and small country, with individually seeing the same challenges at its heart. It is all about hope and communication, so changes can be carried out together in some common interest.
What should people expect to encounter on Tuesday night? (Is this an exhibition in the traditional sense?)
ICW: Well, it is an art exhibition, yes. The work of us as visual artists is shown. Exhibition in the traditional sense? I guess not. We get out of the traditional white cube thinking by giving the visitors the chance to get more involved. Visitors get the chance to network and get to know each other in a more direct way than in traditional exhibitions. In the best cases, some other productive collaborations in any field may result!
LF: At the time of this writing (less than two days before our event) there are technological challenges in getting computer files between Vienna and St. Petersburg sorted out for some of the artwork to be ready! There will be art on the wall, on the floor, hanging from the ceiling, video, music, projections, games, eminent speakers, food, drink, the unpredictable. Most people come to the opening reception for an art exhibition rather than later, so we are packing it all into one night!
www.tampabay.com, May 4th, 2009
tampa bay times
Leslie Fry and Isabel Czerwenka-Wenkstetten collaborate on new art show
Posted by Lennie Bennett
Mixed-media artists Leslie Fry and Isabel Czerwenka-Wenkstetten live on different continents and only met recently but already have joined forces for an art project called Steps to Hope. It debuts tomorrow May 5 at Studio@620 in St. Petersburg. Lots of art but also videos, dance, speakers and, yes, free food.
Fry is a regular exhibitor in the Tampa Bay area. I love the giant plaster casts of small bits of nature such as acorns. Plus the strange morphing of creatures and humans. She‘s working on one in this photo.
I‘m less familiar with C-W‘s art -- only one example at a recent show at C. Emerson Fine Arts. It was interesting: viewers interacting with a mirrored TV that was documented by photographs by the artist. She has plenty of cred: she studied tropical agriculture and added art and design. She has done similar projects in Nigeria, Thailand and Mexico.
So I‘m intrigued by a mind meld between these two.
Die verhüllte Frau / Veiled – It is only a piece of clothing
www.diestandard.at, May 3rd, 2007
Was bedeutet Frausein in unserem Kulturkreis? Im Mainstream-Denken geht es neben anderen Aspekten vor allem darum, sich als Frau bestmöglich zu präsentieren. Anziehend und verführerisch zu sein, die äußerlichen Vorzüge geschickt zur Geltung zu bringen, beispielsweise durch raffinierte Schminke und sexy Kleidung. Attraktiv zu wirken, jedenfalls hübsch, wenn schon nicht idealisiert „schön“.
In der westlichen Kultur wird die Frau in erster Linie als Objekt betrachtet, ihre Subjekthaftigkeit ist dabei sekundär. Der enthüllte weibliche Körper lockt nicht nur im Privaten, vielmehr noch dient er den meisten öffentlichen Bereichen als Ware der Vermarktung ihrer verschiedendsten Produkte.
Im krassen Gegensatz zu dieser Enthüllung steht die Verhüllung mit dem Tschador. Er verdeckt die äußere Erscheinung, verbirgt sie vor neugierigen Blicken. Die muslimische Frau soll in der Öffentlichkeit keine Blicke auf sich ziehen, soll niemanden gefallen und schon gar nicht verführen. Der Tschador hält den – fremden – Blick ab.
Die österreichischen Künstlerinnen Greta J. Znojemsky und Isabel Czerwenka-Wenkstetten wollten wissen, wie es sich anfühlt, nicht gefallen zu müssen. Wie es jedoch ist, trotzdem aufzufallen, durch die andere, fremdartige Erscheinung. Obwohl sie als „Fremde“ wahrgenommen wurden, sind sie „Einheimische“. Sie wollten erleben, wie es ist, als verhülltes Objekt zu agieren, das nichts „herzeigt“, aber selbst schaut.
Verborgen und abgeschirmt durch das dunkle Textil des Tschadors bewegten sich die beiden eine Woche lang durch Wiener Straßen, Plätze, Märkte, Geschäfte und Cafés und sammelten Erfahrungen als verhüllte Frauen.
Bei der Ausstellung werden die Dokumentationen dieser Aktion präsentiert. Gleichzeitig sind die BesucherInnen bei der Vernissage eingeladen, selbst den Tschador anzulegen, um das Gefühl der Verhüllung zu spüren. Auch diese Aktion wird dokumentiert und bei der Finissage gezeigt werden.
on TV: religion.orf.at or magazine.orf.at
Mehr als ein Stück Stoff: Debatte über Burka-Verbot hält an
Die Burka ist – so wird das häufig dargestellt – zum Inbegriff für die Unterdrückung muslimischer Frauen geworden. Verschiedene Länder – allen voran Frankreich, Italien und Dänemark – diskutieren, erwägen oder planen nun, das Tragen eines Ganzkörperschleiers in öffentlichen Räumen zu verbieten. Für Vertreterinnen muslimischer Organisationen in Österreich ist es eine „Debatte ohne Grundlage“. Denn weder tragen viele Musliminnen in Europa einen Niqab (Gesichtsschleier) oder gar eine Burka, noch schreibt der Koran dies vor. Über Frauenrechte, Kleidung, Zwang und Freiheit denken im aktuellen „Orientierung“-Bericht nach: Carla Amina Baghajati (Islamische Glaubensgemeinschaft in Österreich), Dudu Kücükgöl (Muslimische Jugend Österreich), die Künstlerinnen Greta Znojemsky und Isabel Czerwenka-Wenkstetten sowie die Politologin Birgit Sauer.
Bericht: Maria Katharina Moser, Länge: 9 Minuten
Moderation: Doris Appel, Redaktion: Norbert Steidl
Orientierung: 14.02.2010, 12:30 h, ORF 2 /16.02.2010, 12:25 h, ORF 2 / 18.02.2010, 11:45 h, 3sat
foreign affairs Austria-Nigeria
http://www.suedwind-magazin.at
Nigeria fern und nah
Interaktives Kunstprojekt
1994 hat die österreichische Künstlerin Isabel Czerwenka-Wenkstetten einige Monate in Nigeria verbracht. Zurück in Österreich fiel ihr auf, wie wenig das Nigeria-Bild hierzulande mit dem zu tun hat, was sie erlebt hatte. Daraus entstand die Idee für „remote sensing Nigeria“: Menschen in Österreich können via E-Mail kundtun, was sie persönlich von Nigeria wissen oder erfahren möchten. Zusammen mit der nigerianischen Künstlerin Kaltume Gana greift Czerwenka diese Anregungen auf. Die davon inspirierten Werke – Malerei, Fotographie, Installationen und Videos – sollen nächstes Jahr in österreichischen und nigerianischen Galerien gezeigt werden.
Die gemeinsamen Arbeiten entstehen in Lagos. Interessierte können bis 27. Oktober ihre Wünsche und Fragen an remote_sensing_nigeria@yahoo.de mailen.Das Vorhaben ist Teil des Projekts „foreign affairs“, das am 17. Oktober seine erste Ausstellung eröffnet. Ort: Galerie Windspiel, Weyringergasse 20, 1040 Wien