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Austrian Colonial History
Mireille Ngosso 

Podcast

Please note that this podcast is available in German.

The myth still exists that Austria had nothing to do with colonialism, since the country did not have any colonies of its own in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, especially at the end of the 19th century, Austria was very much involved in the exploitation of other countries through its colonial societies and colonial trade relations. For example, the Habsburgs undertook expeditions to Africa on the side of England in order to expand their territorial ambitions. That the Habsburg monarchy did not rise to a major colonial power seems, on closer examination of Austrian aspirations, to have been little more than the result of unfavorable coincidences at the time.

In her lecture, Mireille Ngosso makes clear that a serious reappraisal of Austria’s colonial history must be undertaken in order to properly depict the past and present. She talks about how Austria was directly and indirectly involved in colonialism and what effects and racisms this history brought with it. At the same time, she also outlines the history of the African diaspora in Austria and addresses possible future perspectives of the communities. Mireille Ngosso directs her gaze to current debates and movements that advocate for the end of discrimination and exclusion of black people in Austria.

Artists

Participating artists

Dr. med. Mireille Ngosso

(*1980 Democratic Republic of the Congo, lives in Vienna)

fled to Austria with her parents when she was four years old. There she completed her school career and graduated at the Medical University of Vienna. Mireille Ngosso currently works as a physician in the general medicine department at hospital in Hietzing, she is married and has a son. She has been active in the Vienna SPÖ since 2010. She has been a member of the Vienna State Parliament since 2020 and a member of the Vienna City Council. Ngosso is a member of the Municipal Council Committee for Health and Social Affairs and a substitute member of the Committee for Education, Integration and Youth. From 2018 – 2020 she was deputy district head of Vienna’s first district, chairwoman of the environment committee, deputy of the social and generation commission and member of the security and disaster commission. 

More contributions

Diedrich Diederichsen
Vortrag 

Video

On the basis of his contribution to the publication, conceived against the backdrop of Poledna’s film produced in Los Angeles in the summer of 2024 especially for the exhibition at HALLE FÜR KUNST Steiermark, Diederichsen will discuss and present Mathias Poledna’s artistic career with references to music and art history as well as pop culture.

Diedrich Diederichsen

Karel Císař
Lecture 

Video

In this lecture, Císař will explore Mathias Poledna’s career and artistic practice against the backdrop of the current exhibition, which can also be understood as a kind of retrospective. 

Karel Císař – Lecture

Mathias Poledna
Exhibition Tour 

Slide show

Mathias Poledna has created a complex, multi-layered body of work in which films, expansive installations and architectural interventions are in constant dialog with each other, where independent series of works, found objects and ephemeral materials all condense to form a singular artistic language. Central to his practice are questions of modernity, cultural memory and the visual imaginary in art and popular culture.

Ausstellungsrundgang Mathias Poledna

Performance Total Romance: Partial Repair
Isabel Lewis, Dirk Bell with vocalist, performer and artist Rupert Enticknap and performer and pole dancer Yann Slattery 

Video

The performance Total Romance: Partial Repair is the centerpiece of Isabel Lewis and Dirk Bell’s joint exhibition Ever/​Repair at HALLE FÜR KUNST Steiermark, and is performed by four performers. In… 

Performance Total Romance: Partial Repair Isabel Lewis, Dirk Bell with vocalist, performer and artist Rupert Enticknap and performer and pole dancer Yann Slattery