Self Service

From January 10 to 24, 2024, the exhibition "Self Service" invites visitors to Space n.n. to take part in a participatory exhibition curated by Tinatin Ghughunishvili-Brück that questions conventional art interactions.

The exhibiting artists, including Annabelle Agbo Godeau, Benedikt Gahl, Mirela Moscu, Yogos Prinos and Olga Wiedenhöft, present their works in an unconventional setting. "Self Service" refers not only to the active role of the audience, but also to an emotional and intellectual "service to oneself" that can arise through intensive interaction with art. In the exhibition space, several works of art are positioned on the floor with their backs to the viewer. Visitors have the opportunity to choose an artwork that speaks to them and are encouraged to make a spontaneous connection with it. Once a choice has been made, visitors can hang the chosen artwork on the nails on the wall. They can then sit down on the seats provided and look at the artwork for approximately 3 minutes. After this process, the artwork can be taken down again and turned away from the viewer. This action is intended to counteract the average viewing time of around 27 seconds, as determined in studies. The results of studies conducted in 2001, 2015 and 2017 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago underline the short average viewing time of around 27.2 seconds per work of art. A study conducted by the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Vienna also found that the physical approach to a painting influences the perception of the artwork. The central question underlying this project is: How does the perception and contemplation of art influence the inner reflection and emotional experience of visitors, and how can exhibitions be designed as places of contemplation and individual art experience in order to promote deeper insights and at the same time create more distance from the event character of the exhibitions? The selection of artistic positions in this project is based on the curator's memories of her first encounter with works by the participating artists and the lasting impression they left on her. The subjective-emotional connection she has established with the works seems consistent and meaningful for a project that pursues the goal of sensitizing people to a deeper and lasting connection to art.