Zachęta National Gallery of Art

curator: Julia Leopold

For the current exhibition Eva Weinmayr, born in Augsburg and living in London, shows three videos investigating the mysterious vanishing of the English artist collective Art in Ruins. Formed by Hannah Vowles and Glyn Banks, Art in Ruins came to international prominence in the 1980’s and 1990’s, provocatively addressing capitalism, discrimination and the art world. After a distinct political phase of activity, Art in Ruins became quiet, a state that they describe as being ‘in limbo’. Weinmayr fills this silence by speculating on the reasons for the withdrawal.

She suspects that the withdrawal might have stemmed from the artists’ desire to find relief from the paradox of criticising a system in which one is stuck. “I don't know whether Art in Ruins are on strike, or whether they had just enough of the art world”, says somebody in the film. Can Art in Ruins withdrawal be interpreted as an ‘art strike’ following Gustav Metzger’s appeal in 1970’s asking all artists to stop producing art for one year? Or did they run out of ideas, move to other territories or simply withdraw in disgust?

The project could be considered ‘anti-documentary’ as the narrative builds up through a set of speculations and recollections taken from interviews she conducted with art professionals. At times fragmented and reconfigured, the story unfolds on three concurrent screen.

The narrow and often imperceptible border between fact, fiction and gossip in the three films reveals Weinmayr’s concern with forms of mass communication where reality is represented and manipulated on a daily basis. She collaborated with Gustav Metzger on the book Water Found on Mars (2006). Her practice takes many forms, from installation and sculpture to film and interactive lectures. Her works were presented at Frozen Waves at the Istanbul Biennale (2007) and at One Night Night Stand at the Berlin Biennale (2008) and at the Frontroom, Contemporary Art Museum St Louis (2008).

Films with participation of: Ed Baxter, Resonance FM, London/Vera Büchlmann, artist, Munich/Emma Dexter, Timothy Tailor Gallery, London/Stephen Foster, John Hansard Gallery, Southampton/Rene Gimpel, Gimpel Fils Gallery, London/Justin Hoffmann, Kunstverein Wolfsburg/Michael Hofstetter, artist, Munich/Stewart Home, artist, London/Robin Klassnik, Matt's Gallery, London/James Lingwood, Artangel, London/Douglas Park, artist, London/Jane Rolo, Book Works, London/Heinz Schütz, critic, Munich/Stefan Szczelkun, artist, London/Christoph Tannert, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin/David Thorp, curator, London/Ingeborg Wiensowski, critic, Berlin/Thomas Wulffen, curator, Berlin.

As part of the exhibition she has produced a new book Pause, 21 Scenes Concerning the Silence of Art in Ruins (Occasional Papers, London) transforming the interview statements into dialogue lines for a play.