Em Schwarzwald: The Elephant In The Room. Queering The KHM While Talking To The Director
In her performance The Elephant In The Room. Queering The KHM While Talking To The Director Em Schwarzwald conducts a conversation with Sabine Haag, which is accompanied photographically.
The "elephant in the room" is a metaphorical idiom in English for an overpowering, very important or controversial topic that is personally, socially or politically embarrassing, conflictual or dangerous to address. Em Schwarzwald embodies this ‘elephant in the room’ at KHM, aiming to send a message that queering also means addressing difficult issues even though doing so is personally, socially, or politically embarrassing, conflictual, or dangerous.
Following the elephant's foray through the rooms of the KHM, Em Schwarzwald meets KHM General Director Sabine Haag for a dialogue at a table on the 1st floor in front of the KHM Cafe. The meeting with Sabine Haag comes about at the invitation of Em Schwarzwald and pursues the intention of sharing personal and structural observations from her positioning as a queer artist:in with the General Director and queering the KHM together.
Em Schwarzwald is a live artist and soft builder, interested in creating signs. Topics that are touched by her works are the Body, Sex, Fear, Beauty, Space, Relation and Transitoriness.
Em Schwarzwald lives and works in Vienna. She also works under the name and concept of kussembargo.