We are happy to announce our new senior artists: Berit Seidel (U5) and Matteo Locci (Funduk)
Berit Seidel is an artist and a part of the artists' collective U5 from Switzerland. U5's artistic practice is diverse. Media and materials are chosen and pursued in depth according to interest and urgency. U5 sees itself as an organic practice that celebrates ongoingness. U5 invents its own working techniques in which the principles of reuse, un-use, repair and collage combine materials and objects to create new works. The accumulation (in the sense of Ursula Le Guin's "Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction") of digital and analog materials is an important component of the artistic approach – both burden and treasure at the same time. U5 actively pursues historical and contemporary approaches to research in art, especially approaches that transcend disciplines and focus on silenced or denied forms of art and knowledge. Berit believes in imagination, in social dreaming, in honesty, serendipity, humor and the power of relations.
"The starting point of my work is people and their imaginary worlds. I am particularly interested in the transition from analogue to digital (or vice versa) and the emotional expressions that accompany it. As a Senior Artist in space&designstrategies at University of Art Linz, I aim to work with students in an experimental, immersive and organic way. “Impossible is nothing, Just do it' could serve as an initial mantra. Two slogans from competitors, combined to create a new one".
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Berit Seidel ist Künstlerin und Teil des Künstler:innenkollektivs U5 aus der Schweiz. Die künstlerische Praxis von U5 ist vielfältig. Medien und Materialien werden je nach Interesse und Dringlichkeit ausgewählt und intensiv bearbeitet. U5 versteht sich als eine organische Praxis, die die Idee des fortlaufenden Prozesses zelebriert. Das Kollektiv entwickelt eigene Arbeitstechniken, bei denen Prinzipien der Wiederverwendung, Nichtnutzung, Reparatur und Collage kombiniert werden, um neue Werke zu schaffen. Die Ansammlung (im Sinne von Ursula Le Guin’s Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction) digitaler und analoger Materialien ist ein wichtiger Bestandteil des künstlerischen Ansatzes –Last und Schatz gleichzeitig. U5 verfolgt aktiv historische und zeitgenössische Ansätze in der künstlerischen Forschung, besonders solche, die disziplinäre Grenzen überschreiten und sich auf verdrängte oder ignorierte Kunst- und Wissensformen konzentrieren. Berit glaubt an die Vorstellungskraft, an soziales Träumen, an Ehrlichkeit, Serendipität, Humor und die Bedeutung von Beziehungen.
„Ausgangspunkt meiner Arbeit sind Menschen und ihre Vorstellungswelten. Vor allem der Übergang vom Analogen zum Digitalen (oder umgekehrt) und die damit verbundenen emotionalen Ausprägungen interessieren mich. Als Senior Artist in space&designstrategies an der Kunstuniversität Linz möchte ich experimentell, immersiv und organisch mit den Studierenden (zusammen)arbeiten, «Impossible is Nothing, Just do it» könnte ein erstes Mantra dafür sein. Zwei Werbeslogans von Konkurrenten, die zusammen einen neuen ergeben."
Matteo Locci is a multimedia artist based in Rome, whose practice merges urban interventions with a critical stance on institutional frameworks. His work frequently emerges from collaborations within the interdisciplinary collective ATI, the Exoteric Society of Critical Illusionism, and the artistic group Funduk/q. Through these platforms, he navigates the thresholds between art and architecture, often challenging conventional spaces and ideas in both fields. His approach is known for its speculative, often performative elements that question urban environments and art institutions alike.
Matteo Locci’s work has been featured globally, appearing in diverse venues such as BB15 in Linz, Vita Kuben in Umea, Pavilion Uruguay at the Venice Biennale, StudioX Istanbul, Frac Orléans, and the Iksv Design Biennale in Istanbul. In the extended Austrian region he collaborates with Funduk co-founders Başak Tuna and Maximilian Lehner, reflecting a new phase in his exploration of urban and architectural dynamics.
Beyond his collaborative practice, Matteo Locci has held multiple teaching roles at various universities worldwide. His work’s adaptability and thematic range have contributed to its presence across local and international contexts, inviting both intentional and inadvertent reinterpretations.
