Lois Hechenblaikner - Cross Flow
Galerie Karsten Greve AG St. Moritz
Monday - Saturday 10 am – 1 pm / 2 pm – 6.30 pm
Vernissage
on Saturday, February 10, 2024 from 6pm to 8pm
in presence of the Artist.
Galerie Karsten Greve AG is pleased to present the first solo exhibition of the Tyrolean artist, Lois Hechenblaikner. His extensive body of work is characterized by a nuanced exploration of the Alps and their transformation spurred by tourism.
"Cross Flow" unfolds through various series of works that delve deeply into the changes occurring in the Alps and the accompanying cultural shifts. Hechenblaikner's symbol-laden works offer a simultaneously neutral and poetic perspective on our society today. Discardedand shredded skis from a winter season serve as the raw material for his impressive installations. Selected fragments are formed into new, profound pairings that generate enigmatic, paradoxical, or mysterious combinations of words. These thought images invite the viewer to independently explore the meanings of the words.
In Hechenblaikner's installations, the names given to the skis undergo a transformative metamorphosis. Suddenly, the slogans are liberated from their role as advertising ambassadors meant to enhance the fictional value of the skis. Instead, they unfold a new, almost poetic impact and can be understood as manifestations of "Concrete Poetry."
The photo pairings in his series provide a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of the Alps through tourism. An image, 70 to 80 years old and in black and white, gives us insights into life as it was before the impact of tourism. Farmers at work, in everyday life - photographs from the archive of the late agricultural engineer Armin Kniely, who studied agriculture in Weihenstephan. The counterpart, colorful and from contemporary modern life, appears almost incredible or grotesque due to its fascinating similarity, underscoring Hechenblaikner's outstanding visual memory. In this artistic reflection lies a philosophical invitation to explore the multifaceted aspects of reality and grasp the depths of life.
Lois Hechenblaikner was born in 1958 in Reith im Alpbachtal/Tyrol. In his photographic work, he focuses on the Alpine region but also repeatedly includes installations and other formats. Hechenblaikner has attracted attention with numerous solo and group exhibitions in renowned museums, exhibition spaces, and galleries across Europe, extending to Tokyo. Among the noteworthy Swiss institutions presenting his works are MASI Lugano, the Bündner Kunstmuseum in Chur, and the Kunsthaus Zürich. Publications on Hechenblaikner's work, primarily released by the renowned Steidl Verlag since 2015, have generated international acclaim. His contributions have been recognized with various awards, including the Contemporary Art Prize of the State of Tyrol in 2023.