In her mostly long-time projects, Ines Doujak examines the rules of human behaviour which are a society`s structural and constitutional elements. The results are concentrated works dealing with racism and (post-) colonialism, works against any form of hierarchical acts or discrimination. From a definitely feministic angle, she orientates her woks in criticism against society, in a sphere of tension between art production and political agitation. According to that, her products are quite extensive. They reject a conventional concept of work, as far as the combination of different materials, media, means and activities is concerned, as well as her expansive acting concerning space and time. Comparable to Joseph Beuys` idea of the "social sculpture", in her opus, Doujak does not only break artistic limits as she did in 2002, when she participated in the Vienna "Regenbogen Parade" in her own lorry. She also transgresses the classical conception of authorship as she did lately by integrating several of Salzburg`s female senior citizens in her project "Dirty Old Women", which showed them from an unusually lively, nearly excessive side. In a joyful, sometimes colourful and shrill manner, she celebrates being the other way round and makes widely obvious, that society and state would rather sweep under the carpet unconventional phenomena. Her photography, installations and performative works in public space manifest subjectivity and desire, as well as social power and structures of violence. Aiming at the transformation of collective angles, the artist deals with media stereotypes and frozen attributes of identity like being Jewish, woman, gay, immigrant. Roger M. Buergel (manager of Documenta XII in 2007) and Hedwig Saxenhuber (curate and critic) succeed in positioning Doujak`s oeuvre in a few words: "In Doujak`s works, two tracks are perceptible: One deals explicitly with political questions, the development of prejudices and stereotypes, and the investigation of picture policy. The other shows newly composed, strong, joyful pictures of women (as done in the series "Dirty old women") - completely against the conventional image of women."1
In a time, in which the discursive German pop group Blumfeld deplores the "Dictatorship of conformists", in which feminism seems having become antiquated and right wing parties prosper, Doujak`s intelligent and well researched work bewilders by its lively rebellion against stagnation of rigid social norms and - according to that - the humiliation of human rights and personal freedom. But Dujak does not accuse, she tries to solve the established pictures from the hierarchic context, and so she organizes the differences in a rather equal co-existence.
Works (selection):
Erlauf erinnert sich... (2002): On the occasion of this project in the summer 2000, Ines Doujak touches the term "Heimat" ("homeland") illustrated by the history of Carinthia`s Slovenes, an indigenous minority. In this connection, she deals intensively with the Holocaust. In four different arrangements of texts and pictures, an information box in front of a bank, the Raiffeisenkassa in Erlauf, explained the subjects homeland, expulsion, identity, local ties, uprooting and migration. In addition, the artist organized an event titled "Heimatabend" ("homeland evening"); during that evening, surviving women of the concentration camp Ravensbrück had their say in a video and a witness told what she had gone through.
Boxes (2001) was part of the exhibition Die Regierung at the University of Lüneburg. Arranged on top of each other, series of boxes showed pictures of a woman dressed up as orthodox Jew, strikingly corresponding to general stereotypes. The simple form and the arrangement in series remind of the famous "Specific objects" by the American minimalist Donald Judd. That parallel leads to a strengthening of the objects which strengthens the effect on the message`s contents. This work also handles the subject of anti-Semitism regarding to a relevantly determined visual influencing which impresses the convention of observation.
Vater Arsch (2002): Doujak`s first solo exhibition in the Secession in Vienna has the provocative title Vater Arsch ("Father Arse"). It focuses on the subjects hetero sexism and hetero normativism and - in connection - examines social mechanism of order and separation. In addition to that installation in several rooms of the Secession, Doujak`s project included the participation at the Regenbogen Parade on June 29th, 2002, in Vienna on her own truck. The Regenbogen- or Christopher Street Day-Parade is the public call for equal rights for lesbians, gays and transsexuals relating to heterosexuals. The parade reminds of the 1969 events in New York, Christopher Street, where, for the first time, open riots and demonstrations on the part of homosexuals and lesbians broke out - after police outrage.
Dirty Old Women (2005, Salzburger Kunstverein): The artist has been engaged in this project for several years. It relates the meaning and representation of age and femininity. Like other expressions of social differences (gender, ethnicity, class), age is regarded as a social construction. That is to be questioned or rejected. Beyond the artist`s authorship, Dirty Old Women involves female senior citizens of Salzburg in photography workshops, fashion galas, projects on newspapers and posters. It offers them a stage for the confrontation between their view at themselves and the stereotypes offered by the media.
Profile:
Ines Doujak was born in Klagenfurt, Austria, in 1959. She lives and works in Vienna. She got her diploma at the Hochschule für Angewandte Kunst in Vienna.
Exhibitions (selection):
Solo Exhibitions: 2005 Dirty Old Women, Salzburger Kunstverein, Salzburg / Ines Doujak: Vater Arsch, 2002 Secession, Vienna.
Group Exhibitions: 2005 Be what you want, but stay where you are, Witte de With, Rotterdam; Die Regierung. Paradiesische Handlungsräume, Secession, Vienna / 2004 How do you want to be Governed?, MACBA (Museu d’Art Contemporani Barcelona), Barcelona; Being in the World, Miami Art Central, Miami / 2003, Die Regierung, Kunstraum der Universität Lüneburg, Lüneburg; Formen der Organisatio, Galerie der Hochschule für Grafik, Leipzig and Galerija Skuc, Ljubljana (2002) / 2002 Geschichte (n), Salzburger Kunstverein, Salzburg / 2001 I feel a song coming along, Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Düsseldorf; du bist die welt, Wiener Festwochen, Künstlerhaus Wien, Vienna; The Subject and Power, CHA Moskau / 2000 Widerstand, art and politics from Austria, artspace Rhizom, Aarhus; Erlauf erinnert sich..., Erlauf; Dinge, die wir nicht verstehen, Generali Foundation, Vienna; Don’t let it in, don’t let it out, Knoll Gáleria Budapest, Budapest; Gouvernementalität. Kunst in der Auseinandersetzung mit der internationalen Hyperbourgeoisie und dem nationalen Kleinbürgertum, Alte Kestnergesellschaft, Hannover / 1997 Sex & Space II, Raum. Geschlecht. Ökonomie, Shedhalle, Zurich and Forum Stadtpark, Graz (1996).
Solo projects:
2000 kulturkarawane gegen rechts - durch die dörfer und kleinstädte kärntens/koroska und der steiermark/stajerska / 1999 Lick before you look (Mailposter mit Marth) / 1997/98 Frauensolidarität. Frauenbeziehungen, video projekt (concept and coordination).
Publications (selection):
Roger M. Buergel, Ruth Noack [Hg.], Dinge die wir nicht verstehen, Generali Foundation, Vienna 2000; Ines Doujak. Vater Arsch, Secession, Vienna 2002; Die Regierung. Paradiesische Handlungsräume, Secession, Vienna 2005.
Illustrations:
Boxes (2001), photo: Ines Doujak
Dirty Old Women (2005), performance for the exhibition`s opening in Salzburger Kunstverein, photo: Irene Kat.
Courtesy Ines Doujak
1) Roger M. Buergel, Hedwig Saxenhuber, „Grüße aus Wien“; in: springerin, volume VII, number 2/01, p. 52-55. |
