The installation «out of balance» by the Liechtenstein artist Martin R. Wohlwend is composed of three core components, the sensual-visual conception, the social-participatory and the immaterial-intellectual part, which is carried out in dialogues.
With these three elements, the artist creates a room designed to learn something about the world and its condition «out of balance» and develops strategies in order to sound out this imbalance. Its aim is to reflect on the reasons why there is such an imbalance in this world on one hand and on the other to stimulate an active dialogue about topics such as tradition, privacy, capitalism, religion, politics, economy, sociology, philosophy, mythology and finally art.
The core of the visual part of the project consists of carpets from private households in Liechtenstein and the region. Not only the installation but also the process and the interchange with the participating persons from all backgrounds of society, in order to realize this installation, are part of the dialogue that emerges by collecting the carpets. The carpet as a no longer perceived object in the house, now converted to an art object in the Kunstraum, creating a new perspective and way of contemplation for the spectator. The main topic here is communication and intimacy, whereas the contrast between privacy and public is a main part of the exhibition.
The room is not static, but alive. During the whole exhibition it will change several times by adding and moving carpets. This transformation may carry the signature of the artist or of the visitors. As a consequence, the perception of the room is not a finished object, but it is subject to a process of constant change and renewal.
The third component is a series of intensive dialogues following a principle by Joseph Beuys: «every human being is an artist», accompanied by the Berlin cultural scientist Dr. Hildegard Kurt. These dialogues are carried out in form of a «new» exchange beyond usual debates and discussions, beyond opinions, theories and positions.
By this interchange between the art installation and the carpet dialogues, a laboratory of «social plastic» is formed. A neutral room, giving common ground for discussing and thinking about creative solutions for a future in which freedom and responsibility are in balance – for the individual as well as the community.
Martin R. Wohlwend (born in 1969) is the initiator, creator and curator of this art project. Wohlwend lives in Liechtenstein, studied art in the USA and in China and teaches painting at the art school of Liechtenstein. With his background as a painter, his main focus today is directed towards the transformative power of participatory installations, highlighting imbalances in society and searching for solutions at the same time.