Graz House of Art

The stuff a safe haven is made of

Azra Akšamija performs at Space01 in the Graz Kunsthaus(Bild: UMJ/J. J. Kucek)

Azra Akšamija's path led her from Sarajevo via Graz to the USA to the famous MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Now the artist, professor and director of the Art, Culture and Technology Program there is showing "Sanctuary" at the Kunsthaus, her first major solo exhibition in Austria.

A world of bright colors welcomes visitors to Space01 at the Kunsthaus Graz. But if you immerse yourself in it, you quickly find yourself in the depths where the problems, injustices and crises of our time can be found. Azra Akšamija deals with them in "Sanctuary" in a way that conceals nothing and yet is highly inviting.

The shelters that can be found here stand for understanding and cohesion in a world characterized by migration and inequality. Textiles serve as the material, which not only stand for the problems caused by so-called fast fashion, but can also be read in their respective cultural context. 

However, Akšamija not only points out problems, she also shows possible solutions. For example, there is a large table where visitors can think and talk to each other while creating new textile patterns and models from recycled garments. Reflection is also encouraged by the tensions consisting of cut-up, discarded T-shirts that run through the entire room.

Azra Akšamija (2nd from left) with curators Alexandra Trost (left), Katrin Bucher Trantow and Kunsthaus director Andreja Hribernik (right).(Bild: UMJ/J. J. Kucek)

A colorful tower of discarded clothing also draws attention to everything that is wrong in the international fashion industry. Here, too, there are counter-models that not only stimulate the imagination, but also encourage people to break out of these cycles.

Not only colorful, but also technically exciting
The constantly changing images created with digital AI tools that play with fashion as well as cultural identities are impressive. And the individualized UNHCR shelter tent into which you can retreat is touching. 

Azra Akšamija manages the balancing act between aesthetic pleasure and moral demands. Despite the gravity of the topics, this exhibition comes across as light and appeals to visitors' senses.

A rich supporting program complements the presentation: from 10 July (2.30 pm) there will be a pop-up chai women's café by artist Maryam Mohammadi, in September there will be a poetry slam on fashion and belonging, as well as a cooperation with the Malala association and much more. You can find more information here.