Beschreibung
Austrian Art Today Spirit of Austria presents three positions in contemporary art from Austria: the group Gelatin-members: Wolfgang Gantner (b. Mistelbach, 1968), Ali Janka (b. Salzburg, 1970), Florian Reither (b. St. Pölten, 1970), and Tobias Urban (b. Munich, 1971)-and the artists Franz Graf (b. Tulln, 1954) and Markus Schinwald (b. Salzburg, 1973). At first glance, Graf's large-format graphite and ink drawings would seem to have little in common with Gelatin's gaudy modeling-clay pictures and colorful table collages or Schinwald's overpainted portraits. But a closer look discovers affinities: excessive physicality or unusual psychological constitutions laced with humor and undeniable critical overtones. Despite the considerable differences between the individual artists' works, they share a narrative approach invested in the social relevance of art-and, occasionally, in deliberate provocation-that has deep roots in the Austrian artistic tradition. With a preface by Monika Schnetkamp and essays by Zdenek Felix and Robert Fleck.