Art and love resemble one another – both touch you instantly but are difficult to control and hard to be described. The Austrian poet Erich Fried already proclaimed: “it is what it is – says love” – just as it is with art which is untamable and evokes a multitude of emotions in the spectator. The directness, independence and irrepressibility inspired Stephan Stoyanov to turn towards love as a theme in contemporary art. For his show – inaugurating on the 23rd of July at Mario Mauroner Contemporary Art Salzburg he gathered numerous artworks by the following international artists:
Marina ABRAMOVIĆ / Carlos AIRES / Tato AKHALKATSISHVILI / ANOUK LAMM ANOUK / Heather BENNETT / Madeleine BERKHEMER / Gilbert BRETTERBAUER / Carmen CALVO / Brian DAILEY / Jan FABRE / Gabriela von HABSBURG / Ivana IVKOVIĆ / Tracey MOFFAT / Trine Lise NEDREAAS / Aidan SALAKHOVA / Kalin SERAPIONOV / Miryana TODOROVA / Barthélémy TOGUO / Iv TOSHAIN / Joana VASCONCELOS / Vadim ZAKHAROV / Amir-Hossein ZANJANI
The title of the exhibition refers to the love song „My One And Only Love“ from 1963, in which John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman intone the following lyrics:
You fill my eager heart with such desire
Every kiss you give sets my soul on fire
I give myself in sweet surrender
My one and only love
Passion and devotion define love as well as art. The visitors are invited to approach the artworks that all deal with love in its different shapes and forms with an open heart. Already the ancient Greeks knew 8 different types of love – from the passionate and romantic affection (Eros) to the obsessive dedication (Mania). Whereas Anouk Lamm Anouk’s paintings from the series “Lesbian Jazz” depict the lesbian amorous play, Joana Vasconcelos’ goddesses covered by crocheted doilies from her installation „Ilha dos Amores“ flirt with the voyeuristic spectator. Madeleine Berkhemer was deeply inspired by „L’Ecole des Caresses“ – a feministic cult book from the 20s – and created collages, drawings or installation influenced by her own sexuality and eroticism. The photos by Heather Bennett and Tracey Moffat resonate desire and Iv Toshain’s neon installation „Love is the only superstar“ praises love as a superpower that one can only understand if one has already truly loved.
And what remains:
The love for art – the art of love.
