“La trahison des images”
Alina Panasenko
Danylo Kovach
Natalia Onikienko
Polina Makarova
Tanya Shtykalo

Opening August 25, 5 pm

LLLLLL artist run space invites you to our group exhibiton “La trahison des images”. Our exhibition is a preview of artworks from Ukrainian artists, who will be part of a charity auction, organized by Notgalerie (an art project run by Reinhold Zisser, the same artist who founded the LLLLLL artist run space).
The title’s origin “La trahison des images” comes from René Magritte and translates its means as “The betrayal of images,” which refers to his well known painting showing a pipe and beneath are the written words “„Ceci n’est pas une pipe.“ - “This ain’t a pipe”
This exhibition as well as the charity auction that will follow is part of ongoing process that started as a reaction to the war in Ukraine. In this process — where we all do what we think is necessary — we also try to take a moment and think about our own understanding of what we do. Try to understand the meaning and the task that art is given in the middle of war and crisis.
Some of the questions that come up, when thinking about the current position of art and artists, shall be investigated in this preview exhibition. How can artworks that refer to a war that is happening in this moment be viewed and reflected? Is the classic western European logic between picture and image, the real object and it’s representation still valid? - Or is there an essence, a spirit in the works of these artists who just fled from war / still in Ukraine in potential war areas, that breaks the frame of reference?
Are these works messengers trying to communicate an impression of what is happening to others or are they themselves completed entities, preserving a content that is only accessible to those who witnessed it themselves? As soon as we accept that images can carry a true content, we enter a dangerous field navigating through truth and propaganda — meaning the narrative of the war and its images.
We also ask ourself of the meaning of the “original”. Some of the artworks shown are from artists who still live and work in Ukraine and whose works could not be brought to Vienna. We decided together with the artists to send the digital image of the work to Vienna, creating now a print, saying that the circumstances allow to call it an Original now – an Original of its circumstances.
We are looking forward to welcoming you to our opening and to discuss together the truth and the betrayal of our time and its’ images.