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Roman Ondák
(b. Zilina, Slovakia, 1966; lives and works in Bratislava)
COMMISSIONED BY Litmus Research Initiative
Roman Ondák, Good Feelings in Good Times, Frieze Art Fair, London, 2003
By displacing the meanings of everyday events, Slovakian artist Roman Ondák stages familiar scenarios in which unexpected actions occur. Taking the form of installations, performances and interventions, his works often affect a double-take, provoking viewers to question their understanding and perception of social codes. For Good Feelings in Good Times (Freize Art Fair, London, 2003) Ondák inverted connotations of the queue through the repeated performance of a line of people suspended in action — moving no closer to entry or resolution — for days on end. For the Ludwig Museum, Colonge (2002), Ondák broadcast the message “As a sign of solidarity with recent world events, for the next minute do not interrupt the activity you are doing at this moment” throughout the exhibition space. A conundrum and contradiction, his instruction charged viewers to ‘perform’ a moment of non-activity. In 2001, through the simple act of parking several Slovakian Skoda cars behind the Secession in Vienna for the period of two months (Ausgeträumt & Wiener Secession, Vienna, 2001) the artist engaged audiences in debate on a range of topics including the appropriate use of civic space; class representation and symbolism of the ‘other’.
Ondák has participated in significant international exhibitions including the critically acclaimed group project Utopia Station, curated by Molly Nesbit, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Rikrit Tiravanija for the 50th Venice Biennial (2003), Populism, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2005), Transit: Auditorium, Stage, Backstage, Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt (2006) and the 27th São Paulo Biennial (2006). Ondák has completed solo exhibitions at venues including Moderna Galerija, Zagrab (2002), Kolnischer Kunsterverein, Cologne (2004), Tate Modern, London (2006) and BAK, Amsterdam (2007).
Ondák was born in 1966 in Zilina, Slovakia. He lives and works in Bratislava.
One day sculpture project details to follow.
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