Curated Exhibitons in Forum Stadtpark (Selection)

Forum Stadtpark is a multidisciplinary art institution in Graz/Austria founded in 1959. Forum Stadtpark first gained a high reputation for its programme in contemporary literature and later for photography (Camera Austria). Michel Zinganel became member of the board and co-curator for Fine Art in 1996, a job he shared with partners, guests, or co-curators. Since there had been too many projects to be listed this selection only shows those projects for which he was responsible alone.


1996 Pension Stadtpark – Kunst und Dienstleistung
(Bed & Breakfast – Art and Service Society)

A multidisciplinary project including exhibitions, film-programs, workshops and conferences on working and living conditions of artist (later to be discussed under the notion of “precarious”) in Forum Stadtpark Graz for the festival steirischer herbst 96.
For a limited period during the festival the art institution placed in the huge public park of the city of Graz was transferred into a bed and breakfast, where low budget accommodation was offered for guests of the festival and artist of the project. The artists of the project were not selected for the quality of their artistic work, but for the quality of the non-artistic jobs that then financed their everyday life. The artists were asked to offer these services within the framework of the bed and breakfast and to design the environment were they offer their services. Offered services ranged from several jobs needed or appropriated to run the “Bed & Breakfast”, and more advanced accommodation and catering services, like cooking courses, wine degustation (Kurt Ryslawy), florist decoration (Stephane Steiner), Shiatsu massage (Morgan O'Hara), hair styling (Constanze Schweiger), bike couriers (Andrea Siegl), taxi driving (Rembert Rayon), DJ to more specific services like working at the reception of a refuge-camp (Frans Brepoels), acting as a legal consultant for copyright questions (David Hulfish Bailey) and a party designer for wannabe art collectors (Sarah Gavlak) etc.
The exchange of services initially intended to be organized by a barter system, soon collapsed and discussions about values of different qualities of work or services (with experts from barter economy as well art experts like Marion von Osten, Andreas Spiegl, Armelle Leturcq turned into surprising conflicts. Nevertheless the project was great, exhausting but quite instructive for all participants involved.

1997 Sex & Space II

A multidisciplinary project including exhibitions, film-programs, workshops and conferences on sexuality, space and economy. Co-curated with Marion von Osten, co-produced by Shedhalle Zurich (Sex and Space I) and Forum Stadtpark Graz for the festival steirischer herbst 97.
With Fenja Abraham (CH), Martine Anderfuhren (CH), Hatice Ayten (D), Susanne Bachmann (CH), Jochen Becker (D), Serab Berrakkarasu / Gisela Tuchtenhagen (D), Pauline Boudry (CH), Yvonne Doderer (D), Ines Doujak / Gabriele M. Marth (A), Eva & Co. (A), Frauenhaus Graz (A), Edith Glanzer (A), Ina Ivanceanu (A), Lea Jaecklin (CH), Sylvia Kafehsy (CH), Dorothea Kress (D), Brigitta Kuster (CH), Pia Lanzinger (D), Susanne Lummerding (A), Rachel Mader (CH), Ariane Müller (A), Irene Nierhaus (A), Marion von Osten (D), plattform / Ulrike Kremeier (D), Katja Reichard (D), Marie Ringler / Meike Schmidt-Gleim (A), Cornelia Schmidt-Bleek (D), Hito Steyerl (D), Vor der Information (A), Ina Wudtke (D), Sandra Zech (A) usf.


1998 Listen to my House

allgirls Audio-Project, curated by Tina Marie Friedrich, Berlin


1998 High Crime – Gesellschaft. Kunst. Verbrechen
(Art, Crime and Society)

Conference discussing Karl Marx’ notion of the productivity of crime and deviant behavoir for the progress of capitalist society staged in the scenery of the German equivalent of the TV show “Crime Watch”
with Jochen Becker (Berlin), Matthias Dusini (Vienna), Sarah F. Hall (Berkeley) Oliver Marchart, Siegfried Mattl / Wolfgang Maderthaner, Irene Nierhaus, Ruth Maurer, Fritz Ostermayer / Thomas Edlinger & Lehramt International (Vienna); Moderation: Georg Schöllhammer
Idea: Alfred Gobran und Michael Zinganel, stage set and production: Michael Zinganel


1999 Real Crime

Conference in a stage set of a court room with Thomas VASEK and Helmut HÖGE, Idea, set und moderation: Michael Zinganel

1999 Spielregeln der Kunst
Lecture series in co-operation with Depot Vienna (Wolfgang Zinggl)
with Harald FRICKE, art critic, TAZ-Berlin; Armin THURNHER, editor of FALTER; Beatrice v. BISMARCK, art historian, University Lueneburg; Marius BABIAS, Author and journalist, Berlin; Stefan HEIDENREICH, author and scholar, Berlin; Gerhard THEEWEN, editor, Cologne; Sigrid SCHADE, art historian, Bremen; Alex DEMIROVICS, social scientist, University Frankfurt

1999 mobilSUPER in SUPERland

Works about the City, the State, Architecture and Mobility
with Katja Reichard (D), Martha Rosler (USA), Michael Schuster (A), Ad van Denderen (NL), Ina Weber (D), Vor der Information (A), curated by Michael Zinganel

2000 Prima leben und sparen

Curated by Andrea Knobloch, Kyra Stratmann und Ulrike Kremeier
Installation, lectures and entertainmentprogramme mit Reinhard Braun, Daniela Jauk und G.R.A.M., radio helsinki, dog film Berlin, Mac Guffin, Stephanie Wurster, Theater im Bahnhof, Kati Obermann, Michael Zinganel, Dorit Margreiter, Andreas Spiegl, Uwe Hofmann, Stefan Römer

2001 REkonstruktion_heimAT

The construction of image and notion of "Heimat"
Exhibition, lectures and a poetry slam
with Oliver Croy / Oliver Elser. Dana Dimanescu. Kalaman. Helmut Kandl. Irene Nierhaus. Andrew Phelps. Isa Rosenberger. Sabine Bitter/Helmut Weber. Marc Räder. Bernhard Tschofen. Moira Zoitl. Curated and produced by Michael Zinganel

2001-2002 Steirisches Erz

Political and artistic re-reading of collective traces of memory; about forced labour at Erzberg during the fascist regime.
Beginning with a well prepared bus tour to Eisenerz, the largest steel mine during the NS regime and therefore an important place for forced labour as well as mass murder of Jewish prisoners, being guided by historians, journalists and old local people who experienced the terror regime we started an interdisciplinary workshop to develop artistic and political projects. These were first shown in an exhibition in Graz with contributions from Koala, Martin Schmidl, Günther Jacob, MartinaTritthart, Friederike Nestler-Rebeau, Norbert Nestler, Erwin Schwentner, Erika Thümmmel, Margarethe Markovec, Anton Lederer, Bernhard Wolf, Doris Jauk-Hinz, Erwin Possarnig, Michael Zinganel, Bernd Luef, Jazztett Forum Graz, Rupert Lehofer, tib.
In Juni 2002 a selection of art productions were re-imported to Eisenerz, a theatre written by Uwe Lubrich directed and performed by Theater im Bahnhof Graz, and a Video by Martina Tritthart. Later in autumn Jazztett Forum Graz performed Epitaph, a composition by Berndt Luef inspired by the experiences in situ.
Idea: Günter Jakob, curated by Hermi Grabner, Martin Schmidl and Michael Zinganel

2002 Urban Control
An exhibition of documents and artifacts about the issue of urban control in the Republic of Northern Irland including a symposium with Belfast Exposed (Pauline Hadaway, Karen Downey), Catalyst Arts (Stephen Hacketts), Flaxart Studios (Aisling O’Beirn), grassy knoll productions (Eoghan McTigue), Source Magazine (Richard West, John Duncan), curated by Jochen Becker accompanied by an installation by Michael Zinganel on the productivity of crime for the development of security techniques, architecture and urban design

2002–03 AiR_port

To a large extent the fine arts programme during the two years was co-curated by artists of the international artist in residence programme financed by Graz 2003 cultural capital of Europe
Residents had been Vladislav Efimov / Aristarkh Chernyshev (Moscow), Andrea Knobloch (Duesseldorf), Constantin Luser (Graz / Vienna), Nanna Lüth (Berlin), Ingo Vetter / Annette Weisser (Berlin), Carla Ahlander (Berlin), Jamika Ajalon (London), Angela Dorrer (Munich), Nikolaus Gansterer & Jörg Piringer (Vienna), Folke Köbberling (Berlin), Tadej Pogacar (Ljubljana), schleuser.net (Farida Heuck, Ralf Homann, Manuela Unverdorben; Munich), Social Impact (Harald Schmutzhard; Linz), Michaela Schweiger (Berlin)
There had been two group exhibitions, solo projects, presentations of publications and conferences: e.g. of the magazine „infection manifesto“ by Andrea Knobloch with Peter Spillmann, Co-curator of „be creative!“, Zuerich; Susanne Blaimschein, Kunstraum Goethestrasse Linz, co-curator of „establish cultural worker“; and Karin Pernegger, curator Vienna.
A conference about illegal immigration with Andreas Beisbart, Alex Gerbaulet, Juanita Rosina Henning, Farida Heuck, Ralf Homann, Martin Krenn, Aldo Milohnic, Tanja Ostojic, Manuela Unverdorben by schleuser.net
An exhibition with workshops on precarious working conditions of artists with Elisabeth Katsching-Fasch, ethnologist at Graz University, Hans Georg Zilian, Office for Social Research Graz; and members of the labour union by Annette Weisser & Ingo Vetter.

2004 Backstage*Tourism*Travel Agency

Workshop and exhibition in the stage design of a Travel Agency designed by Michael Hieslmair, Peter Spillmann and Michael Zinganel
with 140 projects submitted by an open call for entries and small installations by Martin Fritz, Moni K. Huber, Kitzberger/Rohrmoser, Lisl Ponger, Arbeitsgemeinschaft deutscher Frauen im Ausland (ADFA) starring: A. Könitz, C. Schnitt, I. Spengler, and Team Hotel Bellevue (Gstöttner/Wallmüller/Wegscheidler). Workshop panels with Martina Backes, Antje Ehmann, Euler/Lucas, Martin Fritz, Gabu Heindl, Alma-Elisa Kittner, Johannes Novy, Otto Penz, Martin Schmidl, Wolfgang Straub, Sophie Thorsen, u. a.
Later followed by a second installation and the presentation of the catalogue Backstage*Tourism and further co-operations