Exploring Shandyismus. Autorschaft als Genre: A Historical Exhibition at Secession

This exhibition explored 'Shandyism' as a phenomenon and position within art, literature, philosophy, and politics, drawing inspiration from Laurence Sterne's novel 'The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman'. It featured existing artworks and new interventions that articulated the methodological vocabulary of Shandyism.

The exhibition 'Shandyismus. Autorschaft als Genre' took Laurence Sterne's 18th-century novel, 'The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman,' as its central reference point. It examined Shandyism as a phenomenon and a position, highlighting its intermedial connections across art, literature, film, comics, and philosophy. The novel's experimental narrative techniques, such as black and marbled pages, missing chapters, and typographically emphasized characters, served as a model for exploring authorship and the book as a medium with self-reflexive wit. The exhibition presented Shandyism as a discreet tradition within modernity, influential across various artistic disciplines and beyond. While its impact on visual art has been largely under-investigated, this exhibition aimed to reintroduce Shandyism as both a historical concept and a contemporary artistic strategy. It combined aspects of a thematic exhibition with a group show, featuring artworks that articulate Shandyist vocabulary primarily as constructions between author and reader. Additionally, thematic blocks, presented in vitrines with historical orientation, addressed intermedial aspects between art, literature, film, comics, philosophy, and record cover design. Several artists were invited to create 'shandyist interventions,' treating the exhibition itself as a medium, with the exhibition design also incorporating Shandyist elements and referencing past Secession exhibitions.

Visitor information regarding tickets and opening hours is generally available on the Secession website. This page details a past exhibition and does not provide current ticketing information for live events. Interested visitors should refer to the main museum website for current access details and booking procedures at the provided ticket link: https://shop.eventjet.at/secession. General museum opening hours are Tue-Sun, 10 AM to 6 PM, but this specific exhibition is no longer on view and these hours pertain to the present day operations of the Secession, not the exhibition dates provided.