Kunsthaus Graz, 2021
The BLUE FROG SOCIETY
The Blue Frog Society claims a new habitat – a habitat without territory, not just as an idea, but as a messenger of a new future which was presented for the first time in New York at „Windows on Madison“ (USA, 2011) and at the exhibition "The Future of the Future" at DOX Center for Contemporary Art, Prague (CZ, 2011). "By way of an imaginary new species Holub's project addresses the issues of territory and habitat that go to the very foundation of the dominant socio-economic system, invoking the tradition that started with Hans Haacke's Shapolsky et el., Manhattan Real Estate Holdings, A Real Time Social System, as of May1, 1971, which still haunts the Guggenheim Museum located a few blocks from the Windows oin Madison. Holub's project takes a different direction by raising the question of habitat in relation to our values, and thus foregrounding the interconnectedness of nature, culture and economy and our vital investment in it." (Jaroslav Andel, curator of "Windows on Madison, New York / press release) In 2018 the Blue Frog Society started a new chapter: A STATE VISIT TO THE BLUE FROG SOCIETY BY MINORITY NATIONALITIES The Blue Frog Society originated from the public art project "On Urban Periphery" in Vienna Aspern Lake City (A, 2010), where Barbara Holub detected a remnant of a wild forest right next to this new urban development area which she proclaimed as the "Habitat of the Blue Frog Society" – as a utopia for urban development based on communal values counteracting the dominance of urban planning dictated by neoliberal interests: The Ten Issues of the Blue Frog Society
see the publication: Barbara Holub "found, set, appropriated,", Verlag für moderne Kunst Nürnberg, 2010
The Blue Frog Society – A Habitat Without Territory Czech Center, New York "Windows on Madison" Installation at the permanent mission of the Czech Republic to the UN in New York 2011 The project for „Windows on Madison“/ Czech Center New York proposes the Habitat of the Blue Frog Society as first non-territorial habitat promoting new values of living together. The pieces are text works announcing the (non-territorial) Habitat of the Blue Frog Society, based on the origins of the Blue Frog Society, related to various texts, e.g. „The Democratic Emblem“ by Alain Badiou (see his discussion on democracy in „Democracy in what state?“, Columbia University Press, 2010, and his differentiation between „tout le monde“ and „le monde“ … > democracy/ Plato). The pieces also refer to the flag alphabet used on sea - as well as questioning flags as common symbol of conquest/ claiming territory. "planting the flag" has been the common symbol of conquerors/ researchors/ endeavors requesting new land for their nation state. The non-territorial habitat of the BFS transfers the "alphabet of conquest" into a circle moving from window 1 to window 4 - placing the new habitat without borders. The Habitat of the Blue Frog Society issues "shares" of the non-territorial habitat as art pieces for a new form of collecting, as parts of a collective piece of art: What does it mean to collect art as process, partaking in the development of this new non-territorial habitat? If you are interested in joining the Blue Frog Society and / or aquiring a share of the non-territorial habitat please contact barbara holub: [email protected]. 
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CURRENT SHOW:
SHOWING STYRIA: what will be_ Towards a Plurality of Futures Kunsthaus Graz 10.04.-31.10.2021 ...................... The Blue Frog Society was presented as collaborative project at: _CrossSections, 2019-2020 Kunsthalle Exnergaasse, Vienna (A); Konstfack, Stockholm (S); publics, Helsinki (FI); _64th UN DPI/ NGO conference: Bonn, 2011 On invitation by and in collaboration with Shamina de Gonzaga/ World Council of Peoples for the UN _"The Future of the Future", DOX Center for Contemporary Art, Prague, 2010 _"Windows on Madison", Czech Center, New York, 2011 Other venues and internal meetings of the BFS took place in Vienna with international participants and will continue. Links to the Blue Frog Society: World Council of the Peoples for the UN (WCPUN): http://wcpun.org/focus-areas/ Radio Praha: July 30, 2010 Ö1 Kunstradio: www.kunstradio.at/2010B/14_11_10.html ........................................................ In 2013 Barbara Holub was nominated for the Big Art Award of the Region of Salzburg (A), where she presented "The Blue Frog Society". ........................................................ In 2018 the BFS is presented in the frame of CROSSSECTIONS (curated by Basak Senova) in a series of exhibitions and meetings in Vienna, Stockholm and Helsinki: CROSSSECTIONS_POTENTIALS Kunsthalle Exnergasse Opening: Jan.10, 2018, 7 pm Exhibition: Jan.11-20, 2018 Presentation of the Blue Frog Society by Barbara Holub: Jan.12, 5 pm ............................................................ Documentation of the BFS:
The 10 issues of the Blue Frog Society:
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:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: The Future of the Future DOX Center for Contemporary Art, Prague, 2010 The Blue Frog Society In 2010, an abandoned airfield and former racing track was investigated as a site for a "new future city". Upon this wasteland neglected by the developers, survived an unknown species, discovered in a small jungle area with wild vegetation. Unknown to humans this species created its own society, a dystopia that reconsidered the quality of life beyond economical values that was completely alien to the capitalist reforms of that time. This species, now known as The Blue Frogs, founded a temporary society, a society on the move, with no political borders. It was a secret society, protecting itself against unwanted appropriation, to determine their own vision. The Blue Frogs claimed a new habitat, a habitat without territory, not just as an idea, but as secret messengers of a new future. It is hard to believe today that they had to decide to keep their agendas secret, accessible only to a few, even their language was a babylonian confusion of tongues, and voices, so that they could create their own codes and culture. The Blue Frogs knew that they would be needed in the future and just had to wait for the right moment to surface. It is now known that they remained invisible to humans concerned by individual needs. People wanted change but knew this would mean giving up the security of beliefs they had built their lives around decades before, and for those who could see the need for change but were nervous the frogs began to reveal themselves. It was at this point that the seeds were planted, the opening of the potential of the unplanned, of welcoming unforeseen elements and movements in society, using the potential of conflict as a driving force for developing a multifaceted society beyond false agreement and appeasement to create poetic moments and the exchange of pleasure in everyday life. |
Curated by: Jaroslav Andel Artists: Jochen Gerz, Barbara Holub, Norman Klein, Marysia Lewandowska & Neil Cummings, Die Planung / A Terv, Terreform ONE |
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The Future of The Future DOX Center for Contemporary Art pieces and installation photos |
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64th UN DPI/ NGO conference Installation / participatory project at the UN conference Bonn, 2011 curated by Shamina de Gonzaga / World Council of Peoples for the United Nations The Blue Frog Society claims a new habitat – a habitat without territory, not just as an idea, but as a messenger of a new future which was presented for the first time in New York on „Windows on Madison“/ Czech Mission to the UN, curated by Jaroslav Andel for the Czech Center, 20111, in collaboration with the Austrian Cultural Forum, New York. At the 64th UN DPI/ NGO conference The Blue Frog Society will directly engage with the participants of the conference and invite them to contribute their ideas, desires, expertise from various angles and backgrounds as well as their critical input for building this community and discussing the future of a habitat without territory.2 Creating, Supporting, Collecting: New Values, New Commons The Blue Frog Society employs artistic strategies to investigate issues of territory and habitat that go to the very foundation of the dominant socio-economic system. It pushes the borders of the „possible“ to make space for the unplanned and unthinkable, emphasizing civic engagement and the need for common public space, linking the art context to society. This project also takes on a new understanding of „participation“ and „commons“, developing an open ended process of acting, referring to the current political dimension of new forms of commons, as Michael Hardt describes them: „politics involve the production of the commons (not only the distribution), i.e.the production and reproduction of social relations and forms of life“3. Jacques Rancière defines the relation between politics and aestetics as a conceptual problem: artistic practices are possibilities of doing and acting, referring to the French notion of „le partage“ which involves partaking and sharing, both contributing to „common wealth“4. Therefore the BFS offers “shares” of the non-territorial habitat as a new form of collecting art: partaking in the development of the habitat and becoming part of a collective art project. "Barbara Holub belongs to a growing number of architects and artists who explore broader social issues in their practice. Her Blue Frog Society project originated in 2010 when she investigated an abandoned airfield and former racing track in Vienna-Aspern for her project “On the urban periphery” (with KÖR/ Public Art Vienna) – a wasteland/ urban void on the borders of Vienna, “before architecture” –before the construction site for the largest new urban development in Vienna for the next 20 years, “Aspern Lake City”, started. She carried out performative walks, investigating the potential of the unplanned and of unplanning, of welcoming unforeseen elements and movements in society. Her goal was to discuss both the potential of the neglected and conflict as driving forces for developing a multifaceted society beyond borders - and beyond false agreement and appeasement. In the show “The Future of the Future” (2010, DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague), Holub presented the Blue Frog Society (BFS) for the first time to the public with the “10 Issues of the Blue Frog Society”. (Excerpts from the press release by Jaroslav Andel for the Czech Center, 2011) |
1 Holub´s project addresses the issues of territory and habitat that go to the very foundation of the dominant socio-economic system, invoking the tradition that started with Hans Haacke’s “Shapolsky et al. Manhattan Real Estate Holdings”, A Real Time Social System, as of May 1, 1971, which still haunts the Guggenheim Museum located a few blocks from the Window on Madison. More recently, artists such as the Slovenian group Irwin or Ingo Gunther have created symbolic state territories, harnessing various institutional forms of the state authority such as passport, visa, embassy, stamp. Holub´s project takes a different direction by raising the question of habitat in relation to our values, and thus foregrounding the interconnectedness of nature, culture and economy and our vital investment in it. (Jaroslav Andel) 2 This input will be presented right afterwards as part of the exhibition for the Artist Award of the Region of Salzburg, for which Barbara Holub has been nominated. 3 Hardt, Michael (2009): Production and Distribution of the Common_A Few Questions for the Artist, in OPEN, 2009/16, NAI publishers 4 ibid. |
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64th UN DPI/ NGO conference filled in postcards and installation photos | ||
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Gallery Traklhaus, Salzburg (A)
Exhibition of the Big Art Award of the Region of Salzburg, 2011
Gallery Traklhaus, Salzburg (A)
Exhibition of the Big Art Award of the Region of Salzburg, 2011
