Licking Structures

Art & Science
Vernissage, guided tours and other events of the exhibition are free of entry.

Like rocks and crystals, social and institutional structures erode. But in their fragmentation and breakage also lies creation. The act of licking is instinctual and internal but it also penetrates and reaches into the world. It is through this exact engagement that geologists, archaeologists, and also children understand their surroundings. Objects melt in your mouth, and the universe can be experienced, absorbed, and possibly devoured, resulting in a moment of sensorial synthesis.

“Licking Structures” embodies exactly this process of dissolution and re-creation. We long for the erosion of past architectures that shape our collective reality, enabling us to metabolize new ones in which we can better coexist.

“Licking Structures” creates an interdisciplinary space in which the artworks both literally and metaphorically explore the concept of dissolving orders. The 24 artists utilize their personal perspectives to create, broaden or reimagine institutional frameworks and established dichotomies in an intimate way. We invite visitors to come in contact with the sensorial through symbols on the labels, indicating which senses to use to appreciate each artwork. Lick at your own risk!

This exhibition is curated, organized and produced by students of the department of Art & Science at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, in collaboration with the Natural History Museum Vienna.

Artists: Charlotte Bastam, Sabrina Rosina, Lucie Belle Blanche David, Ou Jiun-You, Chloë Lalonde, Dunia Sahir, Sophie Olivia Taleja Schmidt, Claus Schönig Lam Yong, Xavi Sosa, Malashree Suvedi, Márton Zalka, Camille Belmin, Leo Olson-Ury, Lobna Awidat, Toqa Eissa, Catalina Escalona, Theresa Hajek, Lilian Kaufmann, Rebecca Lucia Martínková, Nicholas Matranga, Daniela Inés Peláez Robles, Flora Safar, Tabea Merly, Timothy Nouzak

Programme of the Vernissage:
19:00 doors open
19:15 opening speeches
20:30 Cold Burn – Performance Experiment by Sabrina Rosina
21:40 The Other’s Body (2023) – Performance by Timothy Nouzak

EXHIBITION duration: 24 June – 2 July 2023
Opening times: daily 10:00–18:00
Guided Tours: 25, 27 and 29 June, 1 July at 16:00, 2 July 12:00 noon

Finissage: 2 July, 16:00–18:00