Graz is a good base for young art. In relation to the city\u2019s size there are many renowned art institutions providing young artists and their works with a showcase within their programmatic contexts. There is also a joint platform called \u201cAktuelle Kunst in Graz\u201d, formed by institutions like the Esc Medien Kunst Labor, Kunstverein rotor, Forum Stadtpark, K\u00fcnstlerhaus, KULTUM and Grazbased Kunstverein. Together they present positions of contemporary art and organise joint gallery days. These take place each year in May and there\u2019s always a tightly packed programme.<\/p>\n
The \u201cStudioreihe\u201c (Studio Series) of Neue Galerie Graz takes on a very special position in this field:<\/p>\n
The series started out in a restaurant at Neue Galerie\u2019s previous location in Sackstra\u00dfe Graz. When Neue Galerie moved to new Joanneum Quarter, they couldn\u2019t find a suitals able place for continuing this programme for a few years. Two years ago the series found its permanent location in the foyer of Joanneumsviertel\u2019s main entrance, which can be visited free of charge. Curators G\u00fcnther Holler-Schuster and Roman Grabner manage the studio exhibitions together.<\/p>\n
G\u00fcnther Holler-Schuster thinks that the artists truly benefit from the many different spaces available for young art in Graz. \u201cYoung art is very visible nowadays. And in Graz there are a lot of options. Artists\u2019 names can become wellknown in a short period of time.\u201d This is partly because of the city\u2019s art associations and institutions, but also because of the numerous residency programmes and the young artists\u2019 good international networks. The architecture of the Studio Series\u2019 new room also shapes the programme. \u201cThere\u2019s no direct daylight,\u201d says G\u00fcnther Holler-Schuster. \u201cTherefore, it makes sense that we use this room mostly for presenting different forms of media art.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two curators use this framework to present works for which the respective artists aren\u2019t known yet. Renate Krammer, for instance, mainly works with acryl and graphite. In the Studio Series one of her video works will be presented for the first time. G\u00fcnther Holler-Schuster also wants to be able to react quickly and spontaneously to day-to-day developments in this series. This is not an easy undertaking in the complex administrative structures of the large institution \u201cUniversalmuseum Joanneum\u201d, as the curator remarks. But one has to take some risks: When artists have been asked to contribute to an exhibition, it can happen that they don\u2019t know if the works will really exist up to a few days before the opening. G\u00fcnther Holler-Schuster also has future visions for this series: He wants to have younger curators. \u201cArt should be presented by the generation which produced it,\u201d he states.<\/p>\n