ars viva 2019: Cana Bilir-Meier, Keto Logua, Niko Abramidis & NE

The Kunstmuseum Bern, as the partner in Switzerland, is providing the second venue for the ars-viva exhibition. We are delighted to assist in promoting artists still largely unknown in our parts. The common denominator among the different departures of the three prize winners is a critical attitude toward the dangers we face at present due to our globalised world. The three artists invite us to be inquisitive in thinking about the complex realities of life today, each of them pursuing their own artistic strategy.

Niko Abramidis & NE (*1987) brings, in his room installation, to our attention the visual strategies that are typically used to demonstrate economic and social claims to power: with highly polished materials and logos that shape corporate identity. Abramidis, however, grotesquely exaggerates the scenery in the space. He embeds the symbols of power in a garish cosmos, and thereby the seemingly secure order of clear hierarchies becomes shaky.

Cana Bilir-Meier (*1986) often seeks a point of departure for her multi-media works in stories and events that are related to her own biography. For this purpose the artist undertakes extensive research in family-owned archives as well as in the discourses found in public-media. A key element of her work lies in revealing the research process, from which the form of the individual pieces is construed. The personal narratives lose the character of individual fates in this way and become part of broad social narratives.

Keto Logua (*1988) is fascinated by the relationship between imagination and reality. By adhering to scientific approaches, the artist illustrates that the form and meaning of not only commonplace objects but also social concepts, such as those of “nature”, are determined by the place and time in which they originate.