Colonmassage

„Since the age of 16, I have been working as a medical masseur and this professional engagement with themes such as illness, physicality, and identity has shaped my artistic work to this day.“ - Leon Höllhumer

In this workshop marking the group exhibition Bliss, bliss, bliss, artist Leon Höllhumer turns the spotlight on an often neglected and underrated organ that is responsible for supplying our body with vital energy, harboring a close connection to our mind; our intestines, or more precisely, our colon.

Ever since Giulia Enders' best-selling book Gut: the inside story of our body’s most under-rated organ (2015) was published, our knowledge of the body's second largest nervous system has changed considerably. But does this mean we have to get our colons massaged straight away?! Surely, the idea of massaging our large intestines does not spark the same level of joyful anticipation as would receiving a regular back massage. And yet, massages of the abdominal area are aimed at achieving exactly that: enjoyment, relaxation and, consequently, our well-being. Something which — especially, or perhaps even due to living in a time of ongoing uncertainty and an ever-present lack of control — we have now dared to reclaim. 

REGISTRATION

The workshop is designed for a group of five pairs / ten people. Please register accordingly at anmeldung@kunstraum.net.

We recommend wearing comfortable clothing and for you to bring a yoga mat or cozy blanket.

Participation is only advisable for people who do not suffer from abdominal diseases. Colon massages are also not suitable for pregnant women.

Click HERE for more information on the exhibition Bliss, bliss, bliss where we present three objects and a site-specific installation by Höllhumer.

Leon Höllhumer (born in 1986 and raised in Graz) works as a multimedia artist, choreographer and filmmaker in Vienna. He studied with Ashley Hans Scheirl at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. He has been showing his works and performances in numerous exhibitions and group shows in Austria and abroad since 2014. Collaborations are an important part of his artistic practice; Höllhumer has realized projects together with artists such as Florentina Holzinger, Annina Machaz, Ferdinand Schmalz and musicians such as Karolina Preuschl, Lukas König, Didi Kern and PUKE PUDDLE, amongst others. His works have been presented at Belvedere21, Tanzquartier Wien (both in Vienna), EKA Gallery in Tallinn, Mexico City’s Material Art Fair, MUSA, EXILE, Galerie Lisa Kandlhofer (all based in Vienna), and MILIEU in Bern.