Index

Facing Kremlin / Gute Aussichten

a special joint project for the 4th Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, curated by Peter Weibel and Simon Mraz, 2011

 

With its unchanging dark-gray walls and breathtaking views, the House on the Embankment—the exhibition’s venue—is simultaneously a symbol of mighty dreams and of powerful fears. The House on the Embankment (Dom na Naberezhnoi) was built as a residence for the Soviet elite, housing hundreds of generals and politicians, but also famous Soviet writers, musicians, and actors. Built as a modern, exceptional project, it was a prototype of a new way of life. However, the fate of many of its inhabitants was tragic. In the »Great Terror,« almost one third of the house’s residents suffered repression, disappearing into jails and concentration camps. Today, the house is an elegant apartment building, famous for its outstanding views of the Kremlin. Austrian and Russian artists will create works in the tradition of apartment exhibitions, which aim to reflect both the house’s specific aura and the IV Biennale’s subject, »rewriting the worlds.«


excerpt from the press-release

4th.moscowbiennale.ru

 

HAPPY ENDS (GO WEST), 2011
Katrin Hornek Facing Kremlin / Gute Aussichten
Katrin Hornek Facing Kremlin / Gute Aussichten
IF ARCHITECTURE COULD TALK, 2-channel HDV video, 30min, Österreich / Mongolei, 2011
Katrin Hornek Facing Kremlin / Gute Aussichten
detail, HAPPY ENDS (GO WEST), 2011
Katrin Hornek Facing Kremlin / Gute Aussichten
Katrin Hornek Facing Kremlin / Gute Aussichten
Katrin Hornek Facing Kremlin / Gute Aussichten
Katrin Hornek Facing Kremlin / Gute Aussichten
Katrin Hornek Facing Kremlin / Gute Aussichten

With its unchanging dark-gray walls and breathtaking views, the House on the Embankment—the exhibition’s venue—is simultaneously a symbol of mighty dreams and of powerful fears. The House on the Embankment (Dom na Naberezhnoi) was built as a residence for the Soviet elite, housing hundreds of generals and politicians, but also famous Soviet writers, musicians, and actors. Built as a modern, exceptional project, it was a prototype of a new way of life. However, the fate of many of its inhabitants was tragic. In the »Great Terror,« almost one third of the house’s residents suffered repression, disappearing into jails and concentration camps. Today, the house is an elegant apartment building, famous for its outstanding views of the Kremlin. Austrian and Russian artists will create works in the tradition of apartment exhibitions, which aim to reflect both the house’s specific aura and the IV Biennale’s subject, »rewriting the worlds.«


excerpt from the press-release

4th.moscowbiennale.ru