As in football, so in art? No. Certainly not. The relationship between Germany and Austria in the visual arts is completely different from that in sport: there are no hard fronts, no competition, no winners and losers, no young and old.
The autumn exhibition at ALBERTINA MODERN is dedicated to outstanding artists from both countries, who are linked by a long history. However, it does not thematise this history, but instead allows important positions in the Albertina's collection, such as Maria Lassnig and Georg Baselitz, Arnulf Rainer and Gerhard Richter, Martha Jungwirth and Albert Oehlen, Xenia Hausner and Neo Rauch, Wolfgang Hollegha and Katharina Grosse to enter into a convincing dialogue.
A surprising pas de deux unfolds away from the principle of nationality, bringing the dance and playfulness of art to the fore. Both the German and the Austrian positions come into their own in their individuality. Together they develop a transformative power and triumph with an aesthetic of harmonies, tensions and ruptures.
This exhibition is on view from 6 September 2023 to 21 January 2024 at the ALBERTINA MODERN.