Roza El-Hassan :
Project For Amstetten Frauenhaus

The women's centre in Amstetten was founded 15 years ago. To mark the occasion a project was to be developed intended to make people think about the tragic reasons behind its existence. The conflicts alluded to are reflected in an impressive manner in the work by the Syrian-Hungarian artist Róza El-Hassan, whose work engages primarily with solidarity and collective responsibility. Performance is a key element in the oeuvre of the internationally active artist. With the proposal El Hassan succeeded in placing action and a representative object in relationship to one another, in showing a clear dedication to participation, in reducing the distance between producer and viewer, in rattling the boundaries between art and life, and in addressing the public directly. This was achieved with the production of 220 hand-blown light blue anatomically shaped glass hearts, decorative objects that can be distributed, or sold. The fragility of the edition alludes to the victims of violence within the family, but also in its cheerful pragmatism to the strength and sovereignty of the women affected. The hearts were offered for sale at the centre's sales and information stand on three Saturdays at the weekly market in Amstetten, accompanied by a live performance by the artist, subsequently remaining as relicts and everyday items in houses around the town. The second part of the concept, the Täterobjekt (Perpetrator Object) in the form of a roof construction with dark tiles was not realised.
(Brigitte Huck)