Und Wir Mittendrin. Wir Sind Hier. Wir Sind Bei Uns.
Billboards in public space, 230 x 504 cm, 2020
Graphical support: Maria Kanzler

When uttered, We draws semantic lines but also concrete borders where some are inside and others stand outside. Even more than the pronoun itself, it is the words surrounding it that describe the grammatical and political distinction between inclusion or exclusion. These other words encompassing the We, fill it with meaning that is constantly being fought over - in political speeches, advertising campaigns and identity politics. In this vicarious battle of words, the collective spheres of identity and belonging, are constantly being constructed anew.

With regard to political and historical construction processes of social fabrics and identity, Und wir Mittendrin. Wir sind Hier. Wir sind bei Uns. refers to the history of „Gastarbeiter“ („guest worker“), who in the 1950s until the 1970s were granted temporary residence in Austria to take up employment on the basis of recruitment agreements. Most of them worked on the many construction sites that have emerged after the II WW.

The text consists out of slogans, which were found on advertising surfaces, posters and banners in public spaces and construction sites.