The View From Here: Recent Pictures From Central Europe and the American Midwest is a collection of 84 photographic works by 22 contemporary artists who live and work in Central Europe and the American Midwest. The View From Here explores the impact of culture on life in these two different, but intertwined regions of the world.
Curated by Catherine Evans from Ohio (and assisted by Jade Niklai from the Ludwig Museum Budapest), The View From Here explores the significance and unique role of place in shaping cultural identity. The participating artists have been materially informed by the place in which they live – the cities, towns and villages of the central regions of Europe and America. Whether working in a traditional style or with a more interpretive or conceptual approach, each artist shows something about his or her world that the viewer would not have known, and is likely not to have seen before.Four broad themes shape The View From Here: natural landscapes, built or constructed environments, social commentaries gleaned through the artists’ observations, and reflections on cultural values. These themes are common to the works of artists from both the American Midwest and Central Europe, and when their work is juxtaposed, their similarities and contrasts gain resonance.
The View From Here encourages the discovery of difference and parallels between two regions that share ethnic heritage and mid-continental location, resulting in a new perception of cultural identities and an enhanced appreciation of locality in our global culture.The View From Here is the final exhibition in The Heartland Project series, presented at the Ludwig Museum Budapest – Museum of Contemporary Art since March 2000. The series has included Illusions of Eden: Visions of the American Heartland, - produced by Arts Midwest and the Ohio Arts Council’s International Program in partnership with the Columbus Museum of Art. Ohio – and Aspects/Positions: Fifty Years of Art in Central Europe, 1949-1999, - produced by the Museum Moderner Kunst – Stiftung Ludwig Wien. The View From Here was produced by Arts Midwest and the Ohio Arts Council’s International Program in partnership with the Ludwig Museum Budapest – Museum of Contemporary Art. Financial support from America is provided by The Trust for Mutual Understanding, the Ohio Arts Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Major support for The Heartland Project Website is provided by AT&T. Financial support in Hungary, was offered by the Ministry of National Cultural Heritage (NKÖM), the Ludwig Foundation in Hungary, Inter Európa Bank Rt., and various media supporters.
