Art from Austria is on the upswing. In its show >AUSTRIA conTEMPORARY<, the Essl Museum turns the spotlight on artists who do not yet have a strong presence in the arts and exhibition sector but who are expected to shape the art scene in the next years. 16 artistic positions have been selected from more than 1.000 applications. >AUSTRIA conTEMPORARY< is staged in the framework of the exhibition series >emerging artists< and is curated by Christine Humpl.

MARKUS BACHER WAS WÄRE WENN VOR DEM IST, 2007 Foto: Mischa Nawrata, Wien © Markus Bacher		MIRIAM BAJTALA IM KASTEN, 2007/08 © Miriam Bajtala

Markus Bacher develops a highly individual pictorial language in large-format acrylic paintings – creating tank formations, sausage chains and other peculiar things on canvas.

Miriam Bajtala questions our habits of perception in her graphic works and videos. In her drawings she documents her flat in meticulous detail.

ANDREA DANNER CRASH IV, 2007 Foto: Mischa Nawrata, Wien © Andrea Danner	DANIEL DOMIG NEITHER FEAR NOR COURAGE SAVES US, 2008 Foto: Stani Goid © Daniel Domig	MICHAEL GOLDGRUBER EIGER, 2007 © Michael Goldgruber

Andrea Danner makes drawings of the human figure. In the recent “Crash” series the soft human body hits the hard metal car body.

Daniel Domig develops the medium painting into room-filling installation art with sound.

The paintings, photos and video works by Michael Goldgruber show views from lookout platforms on the Alpine nature.

BARBARA HUSAR ASTRALSKULPTUR, 2008 © Barbara Husar	WOLFGANG LEHRNER RECEIVING THE WORLD – HANGZHOU, CHINA, 2008 © Wolfgang Lehrner	MICHAIL MICHAILOV SCHMETTERLING, 2007 © Michail Michailov

Barbara Husar Husar is the owner of a flock of goats in Sinai. Her drawings, films and objects are allegories of the information flow – symbolised for example by the umbilical cord of the animals.

In his videos mostly lasting just a few seconds or minutes, Wolfgang Lehrner takes the spectator to different places all over the world.

Michail Michailov addresses socio-cultural differences in his self-ironical photos, video works and paintings.

VIRGILIUS MOLDOVAN TANZSCHRITT, 2007 Foto: Mischa Nawrata, Wien © Virgilius Moldovan	BARBARA MUSIL SHIFT EXPECTATIONS, 2005–08 © Barbara Musil	KARIN MARIA PFEIFER CRASHING DONALD, 2007 © Karin Maria Pfeifer

Virgilius Moldovan has been active as a sculptor for 30 years. It is always people, often artists and public personalities, of whom he creates oversized silicon models.

The work of Barbara Musil is based on a conceptual approach. In the video installation "Shift Expectations" she addressed a key issue in the artist’s every-day life, the "rejection letter", and transformed it into a work of art.

In the paintings, photos and objects of Karin Maria Pfeifer women play a decisive role – they are witty, relaxed and have slightly socio-critical undertones.

INGRID PRÖLLER WALDSTÜCK, Diptychon, 2006 Foto: Günter König, Weiler © Ingrid Pröller		PATRICIA REINHART LYDA'S HOME, 2008 Foto: Mischa Nawrata, Wien © Patricia Reinhart

In her huge works on canvas Ingrid Pröller shows young people absorbed in sports activities. Landscape dominates the new oil paintings.

Patricia Reinhart portrays long-forgotten female stars of the silent movie in her paintings and video works.

JOHANNA TINZL / STEFAN FLUNGER KLEINER MORGEN, 2007 Foto: Hugo Tinzl, Wien © Tinzl / Flunger	BARBARA VÖGEL EINE FRAU IN KABUL UNTERRICHTET EINE ANDERE FRAU. 18.11.03. PIX!, 2003 Foto: Mischa Nawrata, Wien © Barbara Vögel Courtesy: Maria und Erwin Vögel, Mellau	CLEMENS WOLF SOFIENSÄLE, 2007 © Clemens Wolf

The artists’ duo Johanna Tinzl / Stefan Flunger does intensive historical and socio-political research and transforms it into works of media art and into the public space.

Barbara Vögel is an autodidact, who has been devoting herself exclusively to art for some years. For her works of art she uses objets trouvés, which she composes into collages without changing them.

Former street artist Clemens Wolf documents the decay of industrial buildings in his oil paintings, which he creates by applying a multi-layer stencil technique.

Project partner of the "emerging artist" series is the Deutsche Bank Foundation.

Catalogue

Art education

Press

Anja Reisch: +43 (0)2243 - 370 50 60, reisch@essl.museum , www.essl.museum

Partners of the Museum

Deutsche Bank Stiftung /bauMax AG / Café + Co International Holding / Donau Versicherungs-AG – Vienna Insurance Group / Siemens AG Österreich / Telekom Austria AG

Media partners

Ö1 / Standard