“I studied architecture to become an architect, and then somehow all my projects were art projects that were investigating architectural questions.”
Name
Yoko Gwen Halbwidl
Profession
Artist
Website
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Hernals, Vienna.
Your style in 3 words?
multi-layered narratives.
Your weakness? Your strength?
my idealism.
What makes you different?
I don’t think I am any more different than everyone else is.
When did you decide to become an artist?
It was definitely more a process or realization than a decision; I studied architecture to become an architect, and then somehow all my projects were art projects that were investigating architectural questions. These questions about architecture space are still a main influence in my art, but I still had to develop an artistic practice which is « free » from this context, and therefore I started to study in a sculpture class. And somewhere along this line it occurred to me that I am doing art, and am therefore an artist.
“I feel like everything is going in very different directions at the same time.”
Do you choose your art form, or does the form choose you?
For me, most of the time the project itself chooses the art form; I use the medium in which I feel like I can best think or express a thought or investigation.
What do you find most fascinating about the creative process?
I love reading, thinking and researching, it’s what I spend the most time on in the process. But then I also love the moment when I finally make something and I realize that the work has outrun me – suddenly the work knows more than me, and it leads me to unexpected places that I would have never ended up at on my own.
A few words about your favorite creation?
My favorite creation of my own at the moment might be “fields of play”, because it is a work which I started two years ago but which is still evolving and in process. It is an ongoing performative practice, or rather it is a series of actions to practice play in terms of trans subjectivity. I do it alone in public space (and document it with a little camera that I put on trees or, if I have one with me, a tripod). I really enjoy this work, because the research that led me to it really transformed a lot of my thinking and art practice, and also because each time it is a little thrill to disrupt the image of the everyday by going out in public space and making use of it in my own way.
What surprised you most about your first art shows?
How quick and spontaneous the setup of a group show can be. I always thought there would be hours and hours of discussing the individual works and how they can be curated together in the space. I have to say, I was a bit disappointed at first, but at the same time I realized this spontaneity left room for interesting coincidences.
Someone else’s work that inspired or inspires you…
Agnes Varda, Laure Prouvost, Andrei Monastyrski, Valie Export, Yoko Ono
Who would you like to work with someday and why?
There are many, but the filmmaker Cesar Valyse came to my mind first: I saw a film of his at the international film festival of Marseille this summer and I loved it very much; the way he used performance in film, the reflection about the situation of a rehearsal and the way the real performers were integrated into the narrative. There was an after talk with him and the performers afterwards, and they all seemed like really cool people.
A new project coming up or an idea you want to work on?
I am planning a new performance in an installation setting where I want to invite other artists to perform with me. I really enjoy collective projects, so I am looking forward to it.
Finish the sentence „More important than my career is…“
The relationships to the people in my life, and staying healthy.
2024: Where are we going?
Depends on who is “we”? I don’t have a singular narrative I can grasp. I feel like everything is going in very different directions at the same time.
Do you think about time as an artist?
I am extremely time-blind, so I already have a strange perception of it. I always wonder where the time went.
When the going gets tough…
I do a tarot reading with my mother, or I go outside and look at the small living beings ants and beetles; it makes everything else seem much less heavy.
Put on your future vision glasses: What direction is our generation moving in, what will our world look like in 50 years?
If our generation is moving forward in the way it does in my surroundings, I think that we will definitely move towards an expanded definition of what our species is and what position we have in the world. Apart from that, I would hope that the capitalist system is long gone, or at least severely transformed.
What would you do if you could change the World?
Send everyone to psychotherapy!
What does freedom mean when it comes to art?
Being able to do art is already such a huge freedom and privilege. If you are in a position where you can financially afford to do art and do art in a way that you really want to do, I would say that’s a really big freedom.
If the universe is everything and it’s expanding, what is it expanding into?
It’s probably beyond what we can understand as “everything”. If the Universe already is “everything”, it can’t expand into something else, no?
Tell us about your future plans…
Continuing with my art, working more in the theater scene and in collectives in general. Dancing more. In the more distant future: moving to a different city. But at the moment, I try to take it step by step.
Your city’s favorite spots?
Café Weidinger, Yppenmarkt, Vienna Zentralfriedhof and the nearby restaurant Concordia Schlössl, Tanzquartier, Secession.
A book that everyone should read…
Abschied von den Eltern by Peter Weiss
Last but not least: what is your favorite Song?
Angeles by Elliot Smith
One last statement please: „Wood or stone, gold or art?“
I can’t imagine living without any of them (maybe except for gold, I prefer wearing silver).
Your #…?
