The interfaces between those fields are looked upon from the perspective of art, i e not architectural projects or design per se. By doing this WHAT IF investigates the contemporary interpretation of “social sculpture”, i e what in the 90s has been termed contextual, or relational art and its engagement with social, political and psychological contexts. In short, its interaction with “reality”. At the same time WHAT IF deals with both the design of things and style in itself. Literal use value, as well as phenomenological experience, is a common denominator for many of the works but it is not necessarily salutary and dominating. This is specially interesting in relation to the increased use of information technology and the general focus in public discourse on involvment with virtual reality.
For some time now the contexual, or relational, approaches to art have been highlighted in exhibitions of contemporary art. In this trend there has been, and still is, an emphasis on social situations, interactivity and the immaterial. As phenomena and concepts which directly affect and inform our daily life – and which express the organisation of society – architecture, space and place are all taking part in this.
A general move away from the aesthetic has often been promoted, i e that the visual form has been subordinate to ideas and activities. However, parallel to the anti-aesthetic of scatter art, the non-aesthetic of politically oriented art and the low key look of relational art, one can find a distinct interest in style and design. This interest can be understood as part of a general focus on architecture and design, both of which are “really real”, in the culture of the late 20th century, which in turn seems to be a reaction on virtual reality.
WHAT IF brings up questions of the experience of the built environment, the history of design (specially modernist design), the society of consumption, fetishism, the role of storytelling, visibility/invisibility of marginalised groups in city life, anxiety of human existence, identity as formed by popular culture and art as an essentially interactive event. WHAT IF is partly a thematic exhibition and partly an exhibition based on a sensibility and its attitudes, structures and forms of functioning. The ideas behind the exhibition are formed in and by encounters with contemporary art. It is therefore an example of the kind of curating where the experience of art works, theory and everyday life inform each other in a spiralling process.
The exhibition is curated by Maria Lind and filtered by Liam Gillick.
List of artists:
Lotta Antonsson
Miriam Bäckström
Martin Boyce
Nathan Coley
Jason Dodge
Michael Elmgreen & Ingar Dragset
Maria Finn
Sylvie Fleury
Liam Gillick
Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster
Gunilla Klingberg
Jim Iserman
Jim Lambie
Sarah Morris
Rita McBride
N55
Hajnal Nemeth
Olaf Nicolai
Jorge Pardo
Philippe Parreno
Elizabeth Peyton
Tobias Rehberger
Gerwald Rockenschaub
Pia Rönicke
Simon Starling
Superflex
Apolonija Sustersic
Rirkrit Tiravanija
Andrea Zittel
Pae White
