Like rocks and crystals, social and institutional structures erode, but in their fragmentation and breakage, also lies creation. The act of licking is instinctual and internal but it also penetrates and reaches into the world; it is through this exact engagement that geologists, archaeologists – and children – understand their surroundings. Objects melt in your mouth, and the universe can be experienced, absorbed, and possibly devoured, resulting in a moment of sensorial synthesis.
This process of dissolution and re-creation is what LICKING STRUCTURES embodies. We long for the erosion of past architectures that shape our collective reality, enabling us to metabolize new ones in which we can better coexist.
LICKING STRUCTURES creates an interdisciplinary space in which the artworks explore both literally and metaphorically the concept of dissolving orders. The 24 artists utilize their personal perspectives to create, broaden or reimagine institutional frameworks and embedded dichotomies in an intimate way. We invite visitors to come in contact with the sensorial through symbols on the labels, indicating which sense to use to appreciate the artwork.
This exhibition is curated, organized, and produced by students of the department of Art & Science at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, in collaboration with the Natural History Museum Vienna.
Artist: Lobna Awidat, Camille Belmin, Toqa Eissa, Theresa Hajek, Lilian Kaufmann, Rebecca L. Martínková, Nicholas Matranga, Leo Olson-Ury, Inés Peláez, Flora Safar, Charlotte Bastam, Sabrina Rosina, Claus Schöning Lam Yong, Lucie Belle Blanche David, Sophie Olivia Taleja Schmidt, Chloë Lalonde, Márton Zalka, Malashree Suvedi, Xavi Sosa, Ou Jiun-you, Dunia Sahir, Catalina Escalona, Timothy Nouzak, Tabea Merly