WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO US! Artistic Perspectives on Cultural Heritage
Curated by Christa Benzer & Sabine Benzer, organized by Volkskundemuseum, Vienna. September 2022.
The cultural scientist Aleida Assmann writes about the canon, which contains cultural heritage, that "it has long since ceased to be once and for all determined by tradition which texts one identifies with, which ones should be life-shaping and orientating".
The cultural heritage is therefore no longer predetermined by tradition, but has to be constantly renegotiated and wants to be as inclusive as possible and thus identity-forming. Numerous Austrian artists make a contribution to this debate in the exhibition What is important to us! .
Curators : Christa Benzer, Sabine Benzer
In collaboration with Relevances. Association for promoting dialogue around cultural heritage.
With the kind support of BMKOES, City of Vienna, Zukunftsfonds Austria, S9 lettering and printing, funeral Himmelblau
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Whether works of art, architecture, customs or crafts - a society defines itself not least through its cultural past. However, opinions as to what counts as cultural heritage today vary widely and sometimes cause disputes, for example in connection with monuments to former politicians.
Questions about the cultural heritage of mankind have gained in importance, not least because of the erosion of social cohesion. After all, what is collectively considered valuable is what is "important to us" - whether architecture, works of art, immaterial traditions, handed-down knowledge or even rituals - is significantly involved in the construction of a society's collective self-image and raises questions about the power of definition, representation and choice. Whose heritage is important to us? And who defines it?