AUSRIA(N)

Public Art project, exhibited at different locations in Graz, Organised by < rotor >, association for contemporary art, Graz, as a part of WIE DU MIR. Gegenbilder für transkulturelles Denken und Handeln exhibition. Part of Steirischer Herbst festival. 50 flags, 150×80 cm, red colour.

To describe the notion of possession or belonging – the project uses the word AUSTRIA, but adds to the word a letter/letters that creates a sense of belonging to the word (and therebyy to thenatino it represents). For example: in English, AUSTRIA is changed to AUSTRIA(N); in Croatian, AUSTRIJA is modified to AUSTRIJA(NAC) – symbolizing a person identifying himself as Austrian.

The project questions the possibility for migrants to fully belong to their new country of residence. The brackets () that separate the name of the country and the belonging to the country Austia(n) raising this question publicly, by displaying a series of flags from different window frames in the city of Graz and at <rotor> center for contemporary art.