How to Do Things

The project How to Do Things? – In the Middle of (No)where... involves artists, curators and institutions from fourteen countries of an imaginary "Central Europe" derived by randomly tracing an arbitrary circle in the centre of a map. This circle includes the old EU, the new EU, the not-yet EU and perhaps even never-to-be-EU states: Austria, Belorussia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Moldavia, The Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.

How to Do Things? – In the Middle of (No)where... aims to cross over geographic and psychological borders playfully. The project raises questions linked to the entity and identity of Europe today. What meaning is attached to concepts such as "Central Europe," "Eastern Europe," "The Balkans," "The Baltic" or even "Europe" herself? Why is the economic sphere of the European Union often equated with Europe? Where does Europe begin and where does it end? The thematic emphasis of the project is put on the idea of "Social Utopias." The concept of "Social Utopias" functions as a kind of "trigger," as an impulse to stimulate thoughts and exchange. It raises questions about common visions and goals and about agency and participation.

How to Do Things? – In the Middle of (No)where... has a process-based, dialectical structure. The project features artistic practices that - being less object-oriented - position themselves socially. The starting point and working material for the selected artists is the world, in which they live, move and act upon. The twenty-eight artists involved are invited on a residency grant to spend one month in a new, unfamiliar environment, to research and develop new projects that potentially refer to the different realities and contexts of a Europe that is, as yet, still very heterogeneous. The residencies take place in the European capitals of Budapest, Bucharest, Kiev, Copenhagen and Berlin, and are linked to exhibitions held at the local partner institutions and in public spaces.

The fourth exhibition in the framework of How to Do Things? - In the Middle of (No)where... takes place at Nikolaj, copenhagen Contemporary Art Center, June 16 - August 20, 2006. It features works by Alexandra Croitoru (RO), Alevtina Kakhidze (UA), Aleksander Komarov (BY), Little Warsaw (HU), Wiebke Loeper (DE) og Société Réaliste (HU/F).

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