Ines Doujak's Research-Based Art Traces Pandemic Cycles
Ines Doujak, an Austrian artist who switched from carpentry to art later in her career, gained recognition with her piece Siegesgärten (Victory Garden) at Documenta 12 in 2007. In 2010, her controversial papier-mâché artwork Not Dressed for Conquering (Transport), which depicted King Juan Carlos I, Domitila Chúngara, and a German shepherd, caused significant fallout, leading to the resignation of MACBA director Bartomeu Marí and the firing of curators Valentín Roma and Paul B. Preciado. Alongside John Barker, she created Loomshuttles, Warpaths (2010–18), a fashion line highlighting textile worker safety, exhibited at Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz in 2018. For the postponed Liverpool Biennial 2021, they launched Transmission, a podcast series on pandemic history. Doujak’s exhibition Landscape Painting at Kunsthaus Wien, which addresses land grabbing, runs until 3 October 2021, with a retrospective at Kunsthalle Wien scheduled from 1 October 2021 to 16 January 2022.
Key facts
- Ines Doujak first gained attention with Siegesgärten at Documenta 12 in 2007.
- Her sculpture Not Dressed for Conquering (Transport) led to MACBA director Bartomeu Marí's resignation.
- Loomshuttles, Warpaths (2010–18) with John Barker resulted in an haute couture collection on textile-worker safety.
- Transmission podcasts were created for Liverpool Biennial 2021 after the original parade was cancelled.
- The five-part podcast series covers Vaccine, Meat, Forked Tongue, Class, and Blame.
- Vaccine details historical non-consensual medical infections of poor people, slaves, prisoners, and soldiers.
- Meat examines how industrial meat production creates conditions for disease spread.
- Doujak's exhibition Landscape Painting at Kunsthaus Wien runs through 3 October 2021.
- A retrospective of her work will be at Kunsthalle Wien from 1 October 2021 to 16 January 2022.
Entities
Artists
- Ines Doujak
- John Barker
- Domitila Chúngara
- King Juan Carlos I of Spain
- Bartomeu Marí
- Valentín Roma
- Paul B. Preciado
- Mary Mallon
- Christian Egger
Institutions
- Documenta 12
- MACBA
- Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz
- Liverpool Biennial
- Kunsthaus Wien
- Kunsthalle Wien
- Vienna Biennale
- ArtReview
Locations
- Kassel
- Germany
- Barcelona
- Spain
- Linz
- Austria
- Liverpool
- United Kingdom
- Vienna
- Ischgl
- New York
- United States
- Ecuador
- Italy
- Mexico
- Paris
- France
- Africa