Kunsthalle Wien Presents: In the meantime, midday comes around – An Exhibition on Work and Society

This international group exhibition, inspired by the Marienthal Study, investigates the transformation of work and the modalities of collective action in response to global events. It examines themes of crisis, social collapse, and alternative forms of community and labor, alongside the specific conditions of artistic practice.

Taking its title from a seminal 1930s sociological study on unemployment, "In the meantime, midday comes around" delves into the evolving landscape of work and our relationship to it. The exhibition questions how societies have shifted to a paradigm where 'living to work' has become dominant, often overshadowing 'working to live.' It critically examines the impact of recent global events, particularly the Covid-19 pandemic, which have further illuminated these changes in the field of work. The international group exhibition brings together artworks that oscillate between thematic zones of crisis and social collapse, alongside historical and contemporary forms of workers' collective action and organization, featuring contributions from artists like Lamin Fofana, Adelita Husni-Bey, Problem Collective, and Bassem Saad. Other artists, such as Arts of the Working Class and bare minimum collective, explore alternative ways of being together and practices that challenge the centrality of labor, reclaiming time as a foundation for freedom. The exhibition also addresses labor migration through the work of Vina Yun in collaboration with Tine Fetz, Moshtari Hilal, Sunanda Mesquita & Patu, and Ausländer. Furthermore, the specific conditions and praxis of artistic work are considered, including presentations by the late artist Linda Bilda and Eva Egermann's engagement with artistic labor.