Maria Belova: Unspoken

Klanginstallation von Maria Belova in der Konzilsgedächtniskirche
Eröffnung am Freitag, 5. November 2021, von 19:00–21:00 Uhr
Dauer der Ausstellung bis inkl. Freitag, 26. November 2021, täglich von 16:00–18:00 Uhr
Bei der Eröffnung in der Kirche bitte eine FFP2-Maske tragen.
Der Eintritt ist frei.

Through her digital works, Maria Belova explores contemporary phenomena of hybridity between technology and religious practices. After being featured at the 8th Catholic Arts Biennial (Verostko Center, USA), her sound installation UNSPOKEN is now shown for the first time in Vienna in Konzilsgedächtniskirche (Parish Church Lainz Speising).

In the 21st century, religions are facing a ‘delocalization’ process in the wake of globalization, adapting to technological circumstances of modernity, and integrating the Internet and social media into believers’ daily life. Online prayer walls are one of those tools — websites where people can post about their needs so others who come across those pleas can pray for them in response.

Maria Belova collected those posts, belonging to people of different religious backgrounds, ages, and origins, and created a collective timeline piece — a lifespan of an abstract human being, with their requests changing from childhood to senility. Problems at school, broken hearts, health issues, spiritual quests, troubles with career, taxes, and even unwanted insects in the house — all of it becomes equally relevant in this chaotic polyphony of existence. Thus the artist emphasizes similarities that unite men and women in every quarter of the world and states: despite a common fallacy that technological development “liberates” us from being religious, people do believe like they always did.