Political posters with critical content on advertising space in the public have always had a great potential of irritating people. At first their form and presentation raise expectations of a visualization addressing well-being and lifestyle. Yet one quickly realizes that one`s attention has been directed to a critical message that was perhaps hard to decipher at a first glance. By means of breaking conventional patterns of perception they aim at raising attention. The temporary poster installation "Works Against Racism", which was conceived by the activist Daniela Koweindl and the artist Martin Krenn, made use of this effect. So in July 2005 fourteen different poster themes developed by five individual artists - or groups of artists - covered advertising columns, CLP showcases and billboards in the area of numerous tramway stops along the Viennese D line. It had originally been planned to integrate the advertising space on and inside the tramway trains but in the course of negotiations with Wiener Verkehrsbetriebe [Vienna Transport] it turned out that this project could not be put into effect.

What was picked up as the central theme were the modes of action of totally everyday and present-day forms of racism as well as forms of resistance against them. "Works Against Racism" acted as a visible platform, where different networks against racism and anti-Semitism could converge and attract public attention. With a poster series with anti-racist postulations which had been conceived together with Klub Zwei (Simone Bader and Jo Schmeiser), the Black Women`s Community called attention to the political and socio-economical situation of black women in Austria. Petja Dimitrova also broached the issue of the situation of female migrants in Austria, whose participation in the Austrian society is for the most part reduced to gastronomy and folklore.

The project "Works Against Racism" aimed at confronting the normality of everyday racism at a favoured location, as Luisa Ziaja wrote in the small catalogue of the same tile.

Text extract: Andrea Winkelbauer, in: Public Art Vienna. Departures - Works - Interventions. 2004 - 2007.