M y life is better than yours”, it says with hand-painted letters on a big piece of paper. However, the melancholic setting of the photograph, showing the artist a bit sad and thoughtful looking, sitting on the floor next to her text piece, makes the assertion seem somewhat empty or untrustworthy if not pathetic. “texts by annika ström” the artist collected a series of photographs of her text pieces like: “This work refers to no one”, “I love to live but not with me”, “I am a better artist than I deserve” and “Everything in this show could be used against me”. The photos seem like they could be stills from one of her videos and the phrases could be lyrics from one of her love songs. Far from being a straightforward reproduction of her work, the text pieces are presented in various “lived” settings, often within an intimate context of her private surroundings and in the company of friends presenting her work or doing whatever they were doing, when the picture was taken. The way Annika Ström chooses to represent the text pieces transforms her book into a collection of verbi-visual poems, which play with images and words. The fact that both systems are open to multiple significations, i.e. that one and the same sentence can be perceived as an empty formal phrase as well as a heartfelt existential outcry, depending on the context. But Annika Ström’s text pieces and their visual context are hardly pointing in the same direction. Text and image are not trying to coax the viewer or anchor the meaning of the message. In fact, they rather seem to display a semantic gap, which has to do with a general confusion or openness regarding: Who is speaking? To whom? From which position? About what exactly? There is often a good deal of irony and especially self-irony in Annika Ström’s work. This is no exception when the text pieces are talking about themselves, their own making, their value and reception, commenting on the art market and addressing the viewers expectations. But the irony and apparent lightness are accompanied by an earnest tone. With the “staging” of phrases like “please help me” it seems as if the addresser is already beyond the point of rescue.
LOTTE MØLLER, Berlin.
laire Staebler reports on the serious artistic update given to the cozy nostalgic world of radio at radiodays.org, which is broadcasting over the internet for 26 days from De Appel Stichting and includes curatorial work by Rael Artel, Kathrin Jentjens, Jelena Vesic, Huib van der Werf and Veronica Wiman as well as Claire herself. Internet and digital capabilities have not left the world of radio alone of course. We remember the fi rst time we listened to New York radio live here in Paris over an early broadband connection- hairs stood up all over the place. And a lot has sure happened since then. So here’s Claire’s take on this audio enterprise.
