Exhibition preview, 28 December 2014

The digital age and the effects of behavior on future

Cultures, time periods, countries are measured on their consciousness of humanity. It's one of the immaterial values of richness and in times of complexity research which uses big data for a better understanding of systems, humanity is getting increasingly better countable through various categories and variables that define social issues for the evaluation of stable nations.

fig.: 'Jacket' by Leon Kahane, from the series FRONTEX, Warschau, 2009; Courtesy the artist. Leon Kahane shows with the series the two sides of migration: on the one side, photographs of the headquarters of the company which acts between the political and economic interests of the European Union and on the other side, images of refugee flows such as portrayed in media. The artist's aim is to offer an alternative view on political decision-making processes. Photo provided on occasion of the exhibition 'The Future of Memory - An Exhibition on the Infinity of the Present Time', 4 February until 29 March 2015 at Kunsthalle Wien Museumsquartier, Vienna.

From 4 February until 29 March 2015 at Kunsthalle Wien Museumsquartier, the exhibition 'The Future of Memory - An Exhibition on the Infinity of the Present Time' will explore digital media, the consumption of content, interactions (smart phones etc) and the effects on cultural memory - a memory which is already saved continuously on servers all around the world. Part of the group exhibition is Leon Kahane's series of photographs under the title 'Frontex'. The photo series about the agency which makes the borders of the European Union secure, were taken already in 2009. Recently, Frontex was mentioned by several media in context with operations in the Mediterranean sea where rescuing migrants and refugees has been through the year one of the biggest problems and will become once more harder as the Italian rescue mission 'Mare Nostrum' will stop its activites at the end of 2014 (UNHCR reported). Migration is one of the biggest challenges of today's society and reached with 50 million people the highest number since WWII. Rescuing isn't the only agenda of the agency but one that will prove the Europeans' skills to organize security and help.

Maritime salvage is the last step. Better development programs and diplomatic interventions in particular countries could prevent in the forefield that smugglers make further business with the misery of people; more than 3.400 people died in the Mediterranean sea in 2014.

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