KLAGENFURT.- The permanent installation O-O-O by Julia Hohenwarter in Lakeside Science & Technology Park sums up all the moments of hospitality that have been negotiated at the Kunstraum since its founding in a single word: “Open – Offen – Odprto.” Like a flagpole that can be used as a communication platform by passersby and the Kunstraum Lakeside alike, the sculpture serves as a subtle signpost in (semi-) public space. In its state of perpetual transformation in the coming years through interventions by local users, O-O-O stands for openness, a willingness to change, and generosity—the very prerequisites for successful hospitality, but also for being a guest. In both cases, it is ultimately about understanding oneself in relation to others, accepting responsibility for potential mutual vulnerabilities, and consequently allowing oneself to be “alienated” in a positive sense.

In October 2005, Kunstraum Lakeside, designed and furnished by Josef Dabernig, officially opened after a two-year development phase based on a “percent-for-art” concept. Since then, the space has facilitated reflections on the specific conditions and functions of Lakeside Science & Technology Park—nota bene, a setting that hosts and co-finances the Kunstraum. The aim of temporary projects such as exhibitions, discursive events, and performances or implementing permanent artistic works in the public areas of the park is not self-reflective introspection but rather to address, concretely or more subtly, fundamental interwoven aspects of science, technology, economy, and society.

Now, Julia Hohenwarter’s sculpture O-O-O expands on the idea of the Kunstraum as a space that changes along with and in response to various thematic inputs: right in front of Kunstraum Lakeside. By abstracting vertical elements of the exhibition spac —one of the characteristic concrete columns, the ventilation pipe in the middle, and the power supply panel in the entrance area—and transferring them from within to the outside, she achieves a material reference to the space that also bears witness to its functions. “In my way of working,” says the artist about her practice, “I would like to emphasize volatility and precarity, the solidary moment in material, the stiffening, the occupying of spaces; that everything is in a constant process of change. And with it, the instability and fragility of our architectural reality.”

It can be expected that the O-O-O sculpture, which is exactly the same height as the Kunstraum, will be adorned with stickers, tags, and other elements over time, as is often the case with street sign poles in urban areas. What’s more: passersby are expressly invited to leave their mark on the vertical element. We will also use the galvanized metal pole, which is fitted with straps, buckles, and clamps, to announce our program. The “Open – Offen – Odprto” stickers in English, German, and Slovenian as part of the installation reiterate the Kunstraum’s willingness to uphold the principles of hospitality. Last but not least, exhibiting artists also have the opportunity to appropriate Julia Hohenwarter’s sculpture as a spatial extension and to intervene in the outdoor space, further enhancing Kunstraum Lakeside’s openness towards its surroundings.

Julia Hohenwarter (b. 1980 in Austria) lives and works in Vienna.