'Laure Prouvost: Ohmmm age Oma je ohomma mama' at Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, Austria

11 May 2023

'Ohmmm age Oma je ohomma mama' is Laure Prouvost's first solo exhibition in Austria, jointly conceived by Kunsthalle Wien and Wiener Festwochen. It comprises a series of works created especially for this occasion – including her new film Here Her Heart Hovers – that form an expansive multi-media installation.

As the exhibition's title suggests when spoken aloud, it is about the fine gesture of homage – to the oma, the nana, the grandmother. In her exploration of the figure of the grandmother, Prouvost engages with the concept of origin and its possible interpretations, and in a broader sense with the construction of history and its transmission through generations. And so the exhibition begins in search of those who made us what we are able to be today. We encounter an audaciously invented genealogy of “grandmothers” ranging from intellectual role models and inspiring historical characters to people personally known to the artist or important in her immediate world.

'Ohmmm age Oma je ohomma mama' works like a tangled surreal dream where past, present and future dissolve into indistinction: stories, encounters and fleeting memories proliferate here, materializing in multiple bodies, voices and objects. Prouvost invites us to see ourselves bound together in an interconnected and fluid world. One that protects what the predecessors left, and with passing generations will watch over the forays of those who follow.

On view from 11 May – 1 October. Find further information via Kunsthalle Wien.

Installation view of 'Laure Prouvost: Ohmmm age Oma je ohomma mama' at Kunsthalle Wien, 11 May – 1 October 2023 © Laure Prouvost, courtesy Kunsthalle Wien. Photography by Iris Ranzinger