In his Forms in Time solo exhibition developed for the MAK, the artist Kay Walkowiak approaches the question of the timelessness and narrative
conceivability of form on the basis of the differing culturehistorical mentalities of East and West. “The traveler leaves
no trace because he keeps pace with the movement of things,” is the comment of the philosopher Byung-Chul Han on
an old Chinese saying, and thereby refers to a Far Eastern tradition of the relationship with form that, in contrast
with the Western form, primarily conceived of as substance, is oriented to real absence. In an eclectic compilation of new
works, Walkowiak sounds out the historically and socio-culturally characterized approach to form and questions its functional
positing as a projection surface for timeless utopias.
The traveler abides for a moment between being and becoming. Form loses its substance and, through its emptiness, space
expands. This closes the circle around the title of the exhibition, Forms in Time: everything hangs in the balance between concrete reality and absolute utopia.
A cooperation between the MAK and the University of Applied Arts Vienna
Curator: Marlies Wirth, MAK Curator
Artist Talk
with Marlies Wirth, exhibition curator Tue, 3 May 2016, 6 p.m.
Artist's Talk and Book Presentation
ARTIST'S TALK Kay Walkowiak in conversation with Marlies Wirth, Curator, MAK, in the context of the viennacontemporary 2016 Sat, 24 Sept 2016, 4 p.m.
Followed by BOOK PRESENTATION Kay Walkowiak. Forms in Time MAK Columned Main Hall
In his Forms in Time solo exhibition developed for the MAK, the artist Kay Walkowiak addresses the question of the timelessness
and narrative conceivability of form on the basis of the differing culture-historical mentalities of the “East” and the “West.”
“The traveler therefore leaves no trace behind, because he keeps pace with the movement 0f things,” the philosopher Byung-Chul
Han comments on an old Chinese saying, and in so doing makes reference to a Far Eastern tradition regarding the relationship
with form, which, in contrast with the Western form, primarily conceived of as substance, is oriented to the real, absent
person. In a complex compilation of new works, Walkowiak explores the historically and socioculturally defined handling of
form and questions its functional positing as a projection surface for timeless utopias. _____________________________
Publication Edited by Kay Walkowiak, with contributions by Arno Böhler, Sabine Folie, Marlies Wirth and Daniela Zyman, Verlag für moderne
Kunst 2016; 232 pages, 141 color illustrations, 17 BW illustrations, € 32 The exhibition series APPLIED ARTS. NOW aims at creating a platform for contemporary forms of applied arts, and thus providing greater visibility for especially
interesting positions of graduates of the University of Applied Arts Vienna living and working in Austria. dieangewandte.at
