Narrative Minimalism, 2011-2014

Large-scale Narrative Minimalism, 2011-2014

2011 was my last year studying Fine Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. In the years prior I was in the classes of Harun Farocki and Daniel Richter, and had returned to the class of Gunter Damisch (who initially accepted my application to study there).

I started experimenting with large-scale paintings that would mostly focus on one monolithic visuality. The idea was to use some sort of “force of painting” by using an unusual physicality (the actual format of the pieces) to produce works that are emotionally open and ambiguous, while still creating a very specific, “verbindliche” atmosphere or feeling. Narrative minimalism.

These works were colorful within their mostly monochromatic way, detail-obsessed, and established a specific usage of visuality-beyond-predefined-symbols that I keep referring to.

These paintings were originally made for my diploma.

Works of thes series were exhibited at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna and at my first solo exhibition at Galerie Frey (Vienna), at Galerie Voss (Düsseldorf), Galerie Schloss Parz and at Kunstverein Mistelbach.

“The fact remains that getting people right is not what living is all about anyway. It’s getting them wrong that is living, getting them wrong and wrong and wrong and then, on careful reconsideration, getting them wrong again. That’s how we know we’re alive: we’re wrong. Maybe the best thing would be to forget being right or wrong about people and just go along for the ride. But if you can do that — well, lucky you.”

Philip Roth

“In her last couple of weeks, when my mother’s mind seemed to be floating off somewhere else most of the time, she would sometimes lift her arms into the air, plucking at invisible objects with her fingers. Once, I captured her hands in mine and asked what she’d been doing. ‘Putting things away,’ she answered, smiling dreamily.”

Jennie Dear, What It Feels Like To Die