strange teaching armada milan 2015 rainer ganahl

under consturction - but improving

STRANGE TEACHING - ARMADA, MILAN, May 2015

Wave upon Wave of Invaders

The title reflecting the history of the world is written on an art work by Lawrence Weiner, entitled With the Wind, from 1989, which shows these lines written on a navigational chart. The politics of invading is basic to understanding why we have so-called world languages. The politics of invading also explains why the world is not a patchwork of myriads of belief systems but geographically divided by so-called world religions and large coherent political projections that are all competing with each other. The politics of invading is also the origin of our still current political order in Africa and the Middle East that is now about to be threatened and scattered into chaos after a series of invasions we remember all too well. The current crisis in the Middle East and large parts of Africa, due to ethnic, tribal, religious and political conflicts, civil wars and power struggles that all are again fed by forces from outside and inside over basically anything one can fight over, pushes people literally into the sea, into the winds of desperation and quasi-suicidal adventures. I am not going to elaborate here on politics that are so visible and noticeable everywhere but simply evoke another title of Lawrence Weiner’s that I find significant: Water does find its own level.

This exhibition brings together artists that take their first steps and those who have been on open sea for over half or at least a quarter of a century. Not only people travel but also gods, ideas and institution and practices. In that sense I would like engage for myself as an artist and artist-educator the metaphor of a self-made raft that is sailing under various flags and but is registered with the harbor of the State Art Academy Stuttgart (ABK-Stuttgart) that allows me more easily venture out into flat waters and sometimes high and rough sea. I follow as much as I can with compass I call Strange Teaching that points beyond our institutional coordinate system. Often, I am sailing with a pirate standard that lets me enjoy and suffer the songs and pains of sirens, hard winds and the ebbs and flows of illusions and delusions. Finally I am hanging here on a rope that is held by many others for which I am so thankful.

In this sense, I would like to thank Amy Lien, Enzo Camacho, Tan Cheng, gluck50, Armada, Lawrence Weiner, Nasan Tur, and all the many participants of this exhibition, which will for sure be very uneven but hopefully surprising.

Rainer Ganahl, New York, April 2015

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IMAGES OF THE EXHIBITOIN YOU WILL FIND AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE

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PROGRAM:

GALLERY / MUSEUM VISITS

Gluck50; Massimo de Carlo; Galeria Zero; Fondazione Prada; Triennale di milano, Arts & Foods (Gelant) plus other shows

TALKS AND VISITS - portable, imaginary and actual stuido visits and talks:

Amy LIen / Enzo Camacho; Simone Bertuzzi/Simone Trabucchi (studio visit); Daniele Milivio (studio visit); Beatrce Marchi, Paolo Zani (Galleria Zero), Andrea romano, Gea Politi, Tan Chen

ARMADA EXHIBITION

ARMADA, MILAN - EXHIBITION