27th February – 22th March 2014<\/p>\n
Current global dynamics are marked by the dissolution of distance and proximity, and it makes sense to also examine relevant art and cultural movements in this light. This is a massive trend in the realm of contemporary art \u2013 just think of the large-scale fine-arts events of recent times.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, cultural traditions \u2013 which are commonly seen as hermetic and only of interest to specialists \u2013 become the centre of attention. One such category, which is presently enjoying a certain boom in this context, is textile art. Numerous exhibitions \u2013 from Munich to Paris \u2013 have been showing artists\u2019 work with textiles. Carpets and various other woven products play a significant role in this field. The diversity of imagery and forms of knotted and woven pieces is not rarely associated with the imagery of occidental culture. Parallels \u2013 whether occurring by accident or on purpose \u2013 are present and expressed in any number of ways.<\/p>\n
With this exhibition, the art gallery Reinisch Contemporary dedicates itself to Moroccan Kilims, a very specific section of the discourse of art. Kilims are often linked to flat-woven products of the Central Asian tradition, such as from Persia and Anatolia, or all the way to Bosnia. Hierarchically, Kilims always ranked below knotted carpets \u2013 for a long time they were practically considered byproducts. As interior design objects they are often associated with the private ambiance of the upper middle classes \u2013 also in Austria. Let us not forget that, up until the beginning of the 20th<\/sup> century, Austria was virtually a neighbour of the Orient.<\/p>\n The Kilim is more limited in its material and technical conditions than the knotted carpet, which allows for manifold formal solutions. Within its limits, however, Kilim art in the classic countries of origin attains a startlingly high degree of complexity. Here, abstraction is accompanied by a certain geometric compression of originally concrete elements (animals, plants or mythical creatures).<\/p>\n Morocco\u2019s carpet culture differs significantly from that of the rest \u2013 undoubtedly partly because of its location on the geographical periphery. Certain regional autonomies were able to develop much more freely here \u2013 further removed from the classical forms of the near East \u2013 and were received enthusiastically, especially in correlation with modern art, but also later.<\/p>\n The Moroccan carpet ought to be seen as closely related to narrative imagery and objects \u2013 often landscapes. In both colour and form, one can easily discern gentle dunes and the seasonal qualities of fields, meadows and deserts. Apart from these narrative Kilims, with their high visual impact, there is also the tradition of geometric abstraction. Not unlike in fine arts, this was also borne out in a duality between objective legibility or illusion, and abstract two-dimensionality. Such pieces are evidence of a complex compression of the strictly ornamental.<\/p>\n In cultures where the panel painting never gained traction, the question arises as to how this is compensated. In that sense, carpets, Kilims and various other textile products are also forms of painting, of a consciousness of imagery. These images follow a logic we know from very advanced forms of avant-garde art, such as multi-functionality.<\/p>\n The basic artistic concept of carpets (and also of Kilims) includes, of course, their purpose and their function. Aesthetic autonomy, which is a prerequisite for occidental artworks of the modern and contemporary periods, is not applicable here. Here, one is dealing with images that exist not just to look at, but also to touch \u2013 visible painting and tactile sculpture.<\/p>\n G\u00fcnther Holler-Schuster<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 27th February – 22th March 2014 Current global dynamics are marked by the dissolution of distance and proximity, and it makes sense to also examine relevant art and cultural movements in this light. This is a massive trend in the realm of contemporary art \u2013 just think of the large-scale fine-arts events of recent times. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3228,"menu_order":62,"template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reinisch-graz.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/exhibition\/3692"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reinisch-graz.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/exhibition"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reinisch-graz.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/exhibition"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reinisch-graz.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.reinisch-graz.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/exhibition\/3692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4547,"href":"https:\/\/www.reinisch-graz.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/exhibition\/3692\/revisions\/4547"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reinisch-graz.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reinisch-graz.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}