OHNE GELÄNDER DENKEN

For her solo exhibition at the Zimmermannhaus in Brugg, Olivia Wiederkehr has decided not to present her work in the protective confines of the exhibition space, instead staging ‘Ohne Geländer denken’ (Thinking without Railings) in the public courtyard of the building, which is accessible from only one side. The metaphor in the title is borrowed from Arendt's essay and is characteristic of the thinking of the philosopher, who did not belong to any school, did not follow any particular theory and did not bow to intellectual constraints. With her installation, the artist attempts to open up a space for discourse and make it tangible, not only theoretically but also in a very practical way. She herself describes this methodology as ‘finding material figures of thought’. The work welcomes us with open arms in the courtyard: the semicircular, gold-coloured anodised railing – a reference to the precious ability of our own thinking – is only half constructed and faces us directly. At a height of approx. 2 m, a strip of rubberised fabric surrounds the railing like a banner at a rally. Here, however, the outside is mirrored, the inside painted red and completely free of slogans. The unassembled parts of the unfinished scaffolding lie in a pile on top of each other and are stabilised and fixed in place by a single long ribbon. The ribbon stretches across the entire installation and is weighted down at the ends by concrete rings dipped in asphalt lacquer. Words such as ‘action’, ‘resistance’, “idea”, ‘active’, ‘courage’ and ‘experience’ are scattered around the fragments of the railing, quoting central concepts from Arendt's essay, not carved in stone but cast in concrete. Our path through the installation is predetermined and leads us past a small fountain, which the artist has caused to overflow with her concrete quotations. Just as the quest for freedom has always found expression and will continue to do so in the future, flowing water always finds its way. At the same time, freedom of action must be society-specific, constantly renegotiated and redefined, which for the artist is reflected in the fluidity of water. (Silke Baumann)