Media Interventions

Mass media, in the form of print, broadcast, and online media, are core means of communication in society. Since the 1960s, artists have been exploring how media can shape different societal systems and construct our understanding of reality.

One fascinating instrument that artists can use to this end is a direct intervention in these media, made either openly or covertly. Such interventions play with the mechanisms of mass media in order to expose them, to irritate ingrained habits, and to pose political and social questions directly to the public. The spectrum of these media interventions ranges from newspaper ads to TV experiments to actions in public media space. What these all have in common is a radius of action that is outside the classical art scene. This exhibition examines a selection of media interventions, both historical and contemporary, in order to explore and investigate the potential of this art form.

With works by Gottfried Bechtold, Marcel Broodthaers, Katharina Cibulka, VALIE EXPORT, Sanja Iveković, Richard Kriesche, Nam June Paik, Adrian Piper, Günther Selichar, Peter Weibel, WGBH-TV