monika wührer

I

Artist Statement:

I develop work as a reaction- critical yet playful- to my enviroment. I am interested in making art a hyper-vivid expression of daily life, and challenging art world conventions by playing with its clichés.

My studies with Michelangelo Pistoletto, in Vienna, got me involved in "Progetto arte" which has been a continuing influence on my work. "Progetto arte" is based on the idea that art is the most sensitive and complete expression of human thought and that the time has come for artists to take on the responsability of establishing ties among all other human activities, from economics to politics, science to religion, education to behaviour - in a word among the threads that make up the fabric of society. -Michelangelo Pistoletto

From there, I started working on big projects with the idea of creating utopian models for a more balanced world. I collaborated with a garment factory, who agreed to pay the worker's regular salery, while working in the museum, to create art and handle the sales. In another work, "Soccer", I lived as a "soccer fanatic" for a year and worked out ties with managers and players that culminated in a foosball competition, playing on tables of my own design. This was a parallel yet completely different environment than the soccer field.

My next big project was born out of a quote, "Your presence leads to conflict, however there is no reason to think that your absence will lead to peace", (New York Times Magazine "In the Balance", by Nir Rosen, February 20, 2005), which was referencing the current quagmire in Iraq. The quote was made by a Shiite leader about the Sunni Arabs. In a gallery, taken out of context, it seemed a very good question to any individual. I silk-screened the quote in bold red type on a white and blue "Everlast" heavy bag. The bag was the centerpiece of an installation.

In 2008 my husband Gary Baldwin and myself opened Open Source. Inspired by the open source initiative and the ease of interactivity on the web, we share a transparent agenda at Open Source. We offered creatives, their families and our neighbors access to a project space, a creative community, and regular opportunities to make art part of their daily lives. We welcomed input and contributions focused on offering challenging commentary via the process of artmaking. Ideas like the soup kitchen and the soap box derby originated. In November 2010 the gallery was distroyed by a 5 degree fire, but will continue as a pop-up gallery in 2011.

2010 was the year of the "The cHURCH OF MONIKA". Every Sunday morning at 11am I invited a different inspiring person to talk about art, life, faith, or other obsessions in front of a group of regulars and guests. Conceptually indebted to the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas, that profound monument to the freedom and pursuit of communal self-reflection, my mission was to use art as a surrogate for religion. I take a non-denominational and tolerant attitude in my journey through life and my interest was to build an alliance with people of all faiths and world-views. I do suffer no delusions of grandeur, I only seek to inspire and be inspired by the art of life and community.