Bettina Allamoda
The creative work of Bettina Allamoda (USA, 1964, lives and works in Berlin) is not only limited to her own art production, she is also active as a curator, lecturer and editor. From performance to collage, from sculpture to video, Bettina Allamoda comes upon forms that – depending on the focus of her works – allow her to precisely position herself in regard to the medium and repeatedly raise questions as to the role and function of art in society. Despite the diverse media Bettina Allamoda works with, one can always recognise a thematic emphasis in her pieces, which can be situated in the field of tension between fashion, art, architecture, and their political implications, and address aspects of (post)colonialism and feminism. These perspectives lend her art a depth that goes beyond the mere superficial treatment of historical, contemporary or pop cultural influences, by getting to the bottom of precisely the semiotic effects of alleged surfaces and "revealing these relations which are distorted to recognizability."
Allamoda characterises her artistic work as an "archaeology of the present", which she has realised, among others, in her performance "Vom Happening zum Deutschen Herbst" (From Happening to 'German Autumn') (1992/2005) and made accessible in the accompanying documentation in the form of an installation of photos, reproductions and slides. She creates visual parallels between the then-topical political events of the 1970s and the world of culture and entertainment. This reference to contemporary history can also be discerned in her works from 2005/2006, titled "All Dressed Up". Her collages examine the strategies of disguise and decoration as well as the way in which the female body is dealt with, while setting them in relation to current hotspots such as the conflict in the Middle East or to the way the Arab world is perceived.
Bettina Allamoda, Detail Nr. 5 Genocyber/News from "Human League/Yesteryear Poster Series", 1996, C-Print, 120 x 98 cm
Curriculum vitae
Bettina Allamoda, "Monument/Konfektion", 2006, mixed media: carpet, wood, drapery, installation view, Zwinger Galerie Berlin
Bettina Allamoda "Nation Building", 2003, DVD & Black Sculpture out of polystyrene, drapery, installation view, Kunsthaus Dresden
Bettina Allamoda, "Vom Happening zum Deutschen Herbst", 1992/2005, CD-ROM, 12 min./Loop, Installation
Solo Exhibitions (Selection)
Group Exhibitions (Selection)
Neue Galerie im Landesmuseum Joanneum, Graz
Teaching Assignments
Lectures
Awards and Scholarships