Today, rituals seem like messengers from other times and distant places – in fact, they are deeply rooted in our society, serve social cohesion, structure everyday life and time sequences. In our present day, rituals are in danger of disappearing: the economy around narcissistic attention values, compulsion to perform, and productive acceleration increasingly displaces the modes of ritual and the rhythms of intuition. The “House of Rituals” is proof that contemporary art in particular contributes to the rehabilitation of rituals – an abandoned house brings old and new rituals to life.

HOUSE OF RITUALS brings together works by international and Viennese artists under the roof of a suburban house. The presented works of art deal with rituals in various ways. With sound installations, video works, paintings, photographs, sculptures, installations and more Robert Punkenhofer and Angela Stief designed a varied exhibition.

Artists:
Marina Abramović, Vito Acconci, Paul McCarthy, Scott Clifford Evans, Hanakam & Schuller, Regina José Galindo, Thomas Gänszler, Hanakam & Schuller, Oliver Hangl, Emiko Kasahara, Mike Kelley, Iwajla Klinke, Rudolf Molacek and Maria Serebriakova, Hermann Nitsch, Elisabeth von Samsonow, Nives Widauer, Erwin Wurm, Mia Zabelka and Reinhold Zisser

Curated by Robert Punkenhofer and Angela Stief

An exhibition of the VIENNA ART WEEK with the kind support of JP Immobilien and Bernhard Audio Visual Systems