Rosemarie Trockel at Kunsthaus Bregenz, 25 January 2015

Austrian traditional festive clothing of the Bregenzerwald reviewed by artist Rosemarie Trockel

fig.: 'The Critic' by Rosemarie Trockel, 2015. Exhibition 'Rosemarie Trockel - Märzôschnee ûnd Wiebôrweh sand am Môargô niana më' (24 January - 6 April 2015) especially for Kunsthaus Bregenz; installation view 3rd floor. Mixed media, 170 × 60 × 60 cm. Photo: (C) Markus Tretter (photographer). (C) Rosemarie Trockel, Bildrecht Wien 2015 and Kunsthaus Bregenz.

The installation 'The Critic' by German artist Rosemarie Trockel is currently exhibited at 'Märzôschnee ûnd Wiebôrweh sand am Môargô niana më' at Kunsthaus Bregenz (24 January - 6 April 2015).

The exhibition title 'Märzôschnee ûnd Wiebôrweh sand am Môargô niana më' is composed of words of the Vorarlberger dialect and hasn't only one special meaning - it's more like a Dadaistic collection of words of people from the Bregenz region and the tradition to predict future from weather circumstances. Translated it would be read as 'Fresh snow in March and wife pain is gone the next morning' (wife pain means menstrual pain); which is absolutely irrational at first sight, but offers visitors the chance to create own associations. The presentation of gender-biased views on women's constitution or life situations is an important part of Rosemarie Trockel's oeuvre.

The exhibition title could be interpreted as demonstration of the lack of knowledge or the ignorance against the reality of women's life. For the outfit of the life-size figure 'The Critic', Rosemarie Trockel was inspired by the traditional festive clothing (tracht) of the Bregenzerwald. Trockel's woman in black costume wears instead of the traditional headwear a kitchen kettle with several gamsbarts inside (gamsbart is made of hair of chamois and also used as decoration for men's trachten hats). The back of the costume is embellished with more than thirty hunting trophies such as a jawbone with teeth, the claw of a raptorial bird or the paw of a fur bearing animal. The woman's blonde hair with curlers is covered with a transparent foil - such as used during hair coloring procedures.

'The Critic' is only one view at the exhibition where several works by Rosemarie Trockel are connected to the region and gender roles. Find out more about the wide-ranging exhibition on kunsthaus-bregenz.at.


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