Desert of Realities 

22 September-17 Nov 2023 Graz, Austria

esc medien kunst labor
Bürgergasse 5, 8010 Graz, Austria

The “Desert of Realities” exhibition, showcased at the esc medien kunst labor gallery during the 56th edition of the Steirischer Herbst festival delves into the merging realms of reality and simulation. Drawing from renowned media philosopher Jean Baudrillard’s concepts, the exhibit examines the omnipresence of technology and AI in modern life and its far-reaching effects on societal structures, economy, the environment, and humanity. Within this “hybrid reality,” where the tangible merges with the digital to form a “phygital” world, the interconnectedness of humans, nature, and technology is evolving. The exhibition poses the question: can we shift our current reality using specific tools and methods? Rather than presenting technology solely as a bleak vision of the future, the exhibit highlights its potential as part of the solution, emphasizing the significance of not just knowing a path, but walking it.

Amy Karle’s exhibited wearable artworks, “Internal Collection,” stand out as a provocative exploration of the intersections between the digital, physical, and biological. Crafted between 2016 and 2017, this series comprises digitally and hand sewn garments reflecting human anatomy in wearable form. Karle’s designs, ranging from representations of nervous systems to tendons and ligaments, challenge prevailing notions of body image and digital embodiment. Showcased at the esc medien kunst labor, the “Internal Collection” directs attention to a forward-thinking interpretation of technology’s potential, blurring the lines between design, art, and fashion, and creating a dialogue on the multifaceted aspects of human identity in the digital age.

The exhibition is a co-production with Constant VZW Brüssel, Immerea, kunst_@_werk, Mori Art Museum Tokyo; a cooperation in the frame of steirischer herbst ’23; co-operation with ORF musikprotokoll 2023

https://www.steirischerherbst.at/en/program/events/5104/esc-medien-kunst-labor-desert-of-realities-wueste-der-wirklichkeiten

German/ DE: https://www.steirischerherbst.at/de/program/events/5104/esc-medien-kunst-labor-desert-of-realities-wueste-der-wirklichkeiten