Carola Dertnig

Carola Dertnig's work (installations, videos, and performances) focuses on artistic processes—in relation to historiography, genres, or perspectives. She develops structures for missing stories and invents characters or entire settings that intervene in the past.

Excavations carried out in 2016/17 during the construction of the State Gallery play a role in the exhibition. Medieval and Roman finds and generational change intertwine to prompt reflection: What does the seeping of the past into the present mean—is that enough of an impulse to understand the present as a manifestation of the past? How clearly do historical shifts occur? What consequences do constructions have for living and creative spaces, how do they change paths and routes, how do they change the relationship between city and countryside? By jumping back and forth between generations and places, memories and experiences, Dertnig places such stories in context and makes them visible in a variety of ways.