Beate Winkler: Paper has a remarkable capacity for transformation

From April 17 to July 11,  Beate Winkler presents her exhibition project Color in the Head: Art in Dialogue at the gallery of the Austrian Cultural Forum Prague. Admission is free, vernissage on April 16 requires registration via Goout. We interviewed Ms Winkler at this occasion.

How was your artistic journey, what were your milestones as an artist?

A major milestone was certainly the fact that I ventured into this new area of life in the first place. I discovered entirely new ways of responding to life and situations, forms of action such as play – and developed new creative forms, such as my scrolls, which, as spirals, symbolize change. Everything else, such as my exhibitions and long-term projects on the theme of art and dialogue with Austrian cultural forums, has emerged from this – and is constantly evolving.

One of your mediums of choice is paper – why have you chosen it, how does it speak to you?

Paper is one of the oldest materials we humans have developed – it originates from Eastern culture: from China it reached Europe via the Arab world. Paper has a remarkable capacity for transformation; it is strong and vulnerable at the same time; I can shape it – and it shapes me. Moreover, it is easy to store – I can travel through life with it, this reflects my outlook on life – constantly discovering new continents – both inner and outer.

There will be a special wall at your exhibition, what was your idea for it and how do you envision the wall at the end of the exhibition?

There are several reasons that motivated me to develop this interaction.

1.     We need new visions of the future. We all sense that our societies are undergoing a far-reaching process of change. Everything is happening simultaneously. Polarization in our society, war, digitalization, climate change, social conflicts, migration – to name but a few examples. We must think anew – and feel anew – and for this process we need new visions that are more appealing than the resistance that accompanies every change. And those are lacking. 
2.     We also need new forms of participation. People want to be seen and asked.  That is why I ask visitors to consider and sense what a new ‘WE’ might look like. They should capture this dream on a card made of handmade paper. A single sentence is enough, or a symbol, a small image. They should drop this into a ‘future box’, and everything will be documented on a wall and displayed in the exhibition. What happens next is still open – the results will play a decisive role in this.

You worked as a director for the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. What were some things you did there that you are especially happy about?

Firstly: that I built up and led for a long time an EU agency against a great deal of resistance, one that almost nobody wanted. I left this agency in very good shape after nine years of weather storms, both big and small, as evaluations by international firms have shown. Above all, we succeeded in terms of substance, for example by developing entirely new data collection systems – including an early warning system – highlighting developments in the field of human rights and putting the issue on the political agenda. And with long-term effects. Unfortunately, the entire human rights system is under increasing threat. This should be a reason for us to stand up for them even more resolutely – and to ask ourselves how we can not only strengthen democracies but also bring them to the people in an even more effective way.

What are your plans as an artist, and as a human?

I am placing ever greater trust in the art of possibility and the possibility of art. This means I cannot separate my artistic existence from my human existence at all, and I also know that I live and am lived. Plans often narrow the realm of imagination. To refer to Rilke: it is also about living everything – accepting it and responding to it.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Believe in life, in yourself and in others. Right now, we need a new culture of confidence and renewal. I am deeply convinced of this – and that we have more possibilities in this process than we realize.

Beate Winkler

From April 17 to July 11

Austrian Cultural Forum Prague.

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