Künstlerin Ina Loitzl, Partner Willi Bergthaler und JKU Rektor Meinhard Lukas bei der Vernissage der Ausstellung WASTE ART

All trash or what? “WASTE ART” exhibition opens at JKU

From June 22^ndto July 13^rd, 2021, the spectacular multimedia art exhibition “WASTE ART” with and about garbage in our society will be on display in the Kepler Hall at the Johannes Kepler University Linz. In this way, the JKU would like to initiate a more conscious use of our resources and our environment. Yesterday, the exhibition opened with a vernissage.

On the initiative of our Partner Willi Bergthaler, who is also professor at the Institute of Environmental Law at the Johannes Kepler University Linz, the curator Ina Loitzl laid the focus of this exhibition, which was on view in the Wiener Künstlerhaus until the beginning of February and will be in Munich in July, on plastic. Well-known contemporary artists take a critical look at the downside of our beautiful world of goods: the worthless is transformed, rearranged, collected and our handling of waste is ruthlessly documented.

Ina Loitzl lives as a freelance artist in Vienna and Carinthia. Her works have been on display in the Albertina, the Schlossmuseum Linz, the Künstlerhaus Wien and the Rathausgalerie in Munich.

“Can art change our status quo? I’m convinced of it. I believe in the power and strength of images and that an exhibition like this is thought-provoking. At the same time, the exhibition can highlight the beauty and quality of the material garbage and stimulate our creativity. I would like all visitors to walk out of the ‘WASTE ART’ exhibition differently – and actively reinvent themselves in their own little everyday cosmos. About 25 years ago and more, sustainability was considered a luxury. Today we know that reduction will give us a better life in the future. To our grandparents, living a sustainable life just seemed natural– today we have to make a conscious decision”, explains Ina Loitzl.

And exhibition initiator Willi Bergthaler adds: “When waste becomes art, our values of goods are turned upside down – and the ‘real values’ become visible. ‘WASTE ART’ is provocation and encouragement at the same time: provocation because it allows you to see behind the facade of the smooth surfaces, and encouragement because it shows how we can use creativity to reverse developments. Therefore, the JKU is the ideal place for the exhibition: Where if not at university would be the right place to challenge us to new, intelligent solutions for waste management.”

JKU Principal Meinhard Lukas at the vernissage: “Sustainability is not a catchphrase at the JKU, it is lived reality. We joined the climate alliance, declared sustainability to be a university-wide focus years ago and implemented a number of projects for sustainability on campus, e.g. only organic meat in the cafeteria, beehives or an orchard. Universities are role models. The university wants to show how much is possible within its own sphere of influence. I invite all Linzers to look at the ‘WASTE ART’ exhibition and hope that it will encourage many visitors to become more conscious about our resources and our environment. Legal and illegal garbage imports and exports are the tip of the iceberg of a disorganized system of which we are all part of. “

More information about the exhibition can be found here.

The OÖN also offer a small insight into the “WASTE ART” exhibition in the form of an article from June 30, 2021.