[prologue] new feminism/new europe is a radical and witty exhibition by female artists examining the complex social, economic and cultural position of women in the new Europe, addressing prejudice against the word ‘feminist’ through art and media. Over 25 artists, from 17 countries present interactive installations, film, video, photography, sculpture, sound works, live-art and interventions revealing the new socio-economic position of women in Europe, their changing lifestyles and how these issues affect their political force. The exhibition has been collectively curated by five curators from participating venues across Europe, insuring the exhibition is a fresh look at the younger generation of artists unafraid to be known as feminists. [prologue] new feminism/new europe is curated by Cornerhouse’s Kathy Rae Huffman in collaboration with Eva Ursprung an artist and curator from Graz with the collaboration of Reni Hofmüller of esc, Graz; Diana McCarty of Bootlab, Berlin; Marina Grzinic, artist, critic and curator based in Ljubljana; Milena Deleva of InterSpace, Sofia; and Agnieszka Wolodzko of Laznia Centre for Contemporary Art, Gdansk. In addition to the exhibition in the galleries at Cornerhouse the project includes [prologue] Live, a unique weekend of live-art and music events co-hosted at Green Room, Whitworth Street, Manchester. Made possible by the kind support of Visiting Arts
Curated by Kathy Rae Huffman and Eva Ursprung in association with Marina Grznic, Reni Hofmüller, Diana McCarty, Milena Deleva, and Agnieska Wolodzko
[prologue] Live
Part of the [prologue] new feminism/new europe exhibition in the galleries at Cornerhouse, these three days of live-art and music events at Green Room are series of social occasions and unmissable performances! You can book tickets for each day, or see all three days of entertainment for £10 with a [prologue] Pass available from Cornerhouse Box Office 0161 200 1500.
Friday 29 July 8.30pm Tanja Ostojic: Integration Impossible. 10.00pm Chicks on Speed: DJ set Doors and bar open at 7.00pm. £8, (£5 concessions) Like her recent work Looking for a Husband with EU passport (2000-2002), in which she advertised online with a striking image of herself naked, Ostojic’s new performance, created especially for [prologue], is a multimedia event that probes at EU laws and the artist’s strategies to subvert them. In Integration Impossible, she summarises her experiences of being a woman immigrant in Germany and her struggle to move freely and live and work where she wants. Chicks on Speed have gained critical acclaim as artists in the fields of pop music, painting, graphic design, fashion, and live art performance. The three members, Kiki Moorse (Germany), Melissa Logan (USA) and Alex Murray-Leslie (Australia) started as a fake band at the Munich Art Academy in 1997 before taking the music industry by storm. Now based in Berlin, they have supported the B52s, Kraftwerk and Underworld and believe in breaking down boundaries to re-educate, inspire and be inspired! The most important element in their work is dialogue and the cross fertilisation of art mediums with music. A rare chance to see the notorious act in a uniquely intimate venue.
Saturday 30 July 8.00pm Nicole Pruckermayr: Ectodermal Ways 8.30pm Boryana Dragoeva-Rossa: Roboriada 10.00pm Jamika Ajalon: Trans_Narratives Doors and bar open at 7.00pm. £8, (£5 concessions) Pruckermayr isolates her body completely from the world by wearing a latex-skin. The skin, if worn for more than15 minutes would lead to death. During the performance sensors monitor her perspiration and this data is used to create an accompanying soundtrack and visuals. This new work for [prologue] is an investigation of the skin, seeking to find what lies deepest in the psyche, what can and must be endured and how we can challenge the brain. Ultimately, her performance illustrates the impossibility of her ideals. Everybody is equal, because everybody is marginal. Roboriada is a video game-like performance, where two people become Robo-Sapiens, human robots, who must fight for their right to live! The players senses are limited by a restrictive costume with a camera instead of eyes and headphones that mean they are only able to hear directions made by their human ‘users’. Roboriada explores the fields of marginality declaring the universal equality of all the marginalised, the human being and the robot, the woman and the micro-organism, the man and the street dog. But, the audience will determine if we are equally defenseless. London based Jamika Ajalon will present an audio visual anti-lecture and live jam, exploring black female subjectivity and the poetics of the urban landscape. Jamika will be joined by musicians from Manchester and Graz. In addition,Trans_Narratives Graz, an installation, will be installed at Green Room in the rehearsal space throughout [prologue] Live.
Sunday 31 July At Brunch: a conversation about the value of feminist criticism Doors open at 11.00am, Brunch served at 12.00pm. £8, (£5 concessions) A time to meet with curators and artists to discuss the subject with three prominent critics; Katy Deepwell is editor of n.paradoxa (UK), the only international feminist art journal exploring feminist theory and contemporary women’s art practices. Alena Williams is a critic and curator currently working in Berlin, she is the ArtBase Consultant for Rhizome.org, an on-line net art community, and a PhD candidate in the department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University, New York. Marina Grzinic is an artist and freelance curator. She is professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, and in collaboration with Aina Smid, has been involved in video art since 1982. Book your [prologue] Pass and all tickets at Cornerhouse Box Office 0161 200 1500