Geländer

This work was created for the group exhibition “Soft Parade” at the artist run space Fabrikraum in Vienna, Austria. Idea for the exhibition was to engage with the exhibition space and create new works dealing with the specific conditions of this place and its local context.

Situated on the ground floor of a Gemeindebau, Fabrikraum is located on Johnstraße in Vienna’s 15th district. The busy two lane street runs from the Schmelz—a former military exercise and parade ground—straight through the multicultural district of Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus and directly to the baroque palace Schloß Schönbrunn.

In preparation for the exhibition, Zielinski considered the history of the neighborhood where Fabrikraum is located and reflected on how a social-economic position is mirrored in the architecture. In this respect, the various forms of balcony railings on Johnstraße and throughout the neighborhood caught his attention. What, if anything, can the form of a balcony tell about a building, a neighborhood, a resident? How is taste, class, wealth etc. manifested in its form?

“Gelände” consists of objects resembling balcony railings, some referring specifically models found on Johnstraße. In doing so Zielinski reflects on the history of the district as part of a military parade route and questions the representative function of form.

The exhibition “Soft Parade” featured works from Eva Funk, Meike Kuhnert and Michel Aniol.




© Joshua Zielinski - 2024