Against the background of the international autumn fairs, Via Lewandowsky (*1963 in Dresden) raises the issue of the expanding role of art in society. With his sound-installation “Applause” the artist evokes the illusion of a grand audience which applauds an invisible presentation. Criticism exhausts itself in eulogy and obeisance. Art has been shrunk to a pretext for a social occasion and suffices as an agreement. As claqueurs Lewandowsky chose people from the immediate art set-up: collectors,curators, critics, museum directors and cultural politicians.

The installation consists of 96 concert loudspeakers. They cover all 11 rooms of the two levels of Haus am Waldsee. From a central computerised set the recordings of applauding persons are looped one at a time, doubled and played in varying length, ebbing and rising like a symphony.

Lewandowsky condenses the“applause-orchestra” from time to time by assigning one or more persons to a loudspeaker. In the meantime he is repeatedly playing only on single speakers thereby building dialogue sequences, silences of smaller or larger groups.

Climactically, thunderous applause by all “participants” fills the entire house. Lewandowsky consciously defies tradition with regard to the opposition of viewer and work of art. The viewers find themselves in the middle of a technical installation. All speakers, cables and control technology remain visible.

The exhibition is curated by Dr. Katja Blomberg. A catalogue will accompany the exhibition.