(K)EIN BEGRIFF - Sculptural Works from the Liaunig Collection

With "(K)ein Begriff. Sculptural Works from the Liaunig Collection", the Museum Liaunig presents a comprehensive exhibition exploring the development and expansion of the concept of sculpture since 1945.

Curator Alexandra Schantl focuses on the question of what sculpture means today, given that the concept has undergone a fundamental transformation since the 1960s. Ever since Marcel Duchamp’s readymades and Rosalind E. Krauss’s theoretical reflections, sculpture has been regarded as an open field that has long since ceased to encompass merely classical three-dimensional objects, but now includes a wide variety of materials, media and forms of expression.

The exhibition approaches this expanded understanding of sculpture from a historical-developmental perspective and presents over 200 works – sculptures, plastic arts, objects, whilst also taking into account the two-dimensional arts, particularly drawing – by around 100 artists. 

The exhibition opens with key figures in Austrian sculpture since 1945, including Fritz Wotruba and artists from his circle who engaged intensively with the human figure. This focus is complemented in the northern half of the hall by works that expand upon, question or explore entirely new formal approaches to the figurative. As the exhibition progresses, influential individual positions and innovative approaches enter into dialogue: from body-related works and participatory concepts to sculptural models of thought. The intersections with architecture, performance and photography are also explored, thereby highlighting the complexity of the concept. The southern section of the exhibition focuses more strongly on material and the dissolution of classical genre boundaries. Language is translated into space, textile works open up new perspectives on everyday materials, and paper, wood and industrial materials are transformed in surprising ways. This gives rise to works that oscillate between sculpture, painting and drawing, or deliberatel subvert these categories. In the concluding section, the focus shifts to the immaterial: lines, shadows, reflections and voids redefine the sculptural here and point to its illusionistic and conceptual potential. 

The exhibition "(K)ein Begriff" powerfully demonstrates the breadth and openness of an artistic concept that is constantly evolving whilst eluding any clear definition.
 

Artists: Joannis Avramidis, ONA B (Susanne Kibler), Alfredo Barsuglia, Josef Bauer, Wolfgang Becksteiner, Wander Bertoni, Canan Dagdelen, Willi Dorner, Otto Eder, Lorenz Estermann, Gerda Fassel, Judith Fegerl, Johann Feilacher, Jenny Feldmann, Tone Fink, Judith P. Fischer, Herbert Flois, Andreas Fogarasi, Padhi Frieberger, Heinz Gappmayr, Bruno Gironcoli, Roland Goeschl, Herbert Golser, Dorothee Golz, Birke Gorm, Franz Graf, Helmuth Gsöllpointner, Alfred Haberpointner, Heidi Harsieber, Fritz Hartlauer, Julia Haugeneder, Julie Hayward, Katharina Heinrich, Rudolf Hoflehner, Gerhard Kaiser, Michael Kienzer, Katharina Kleibel, Cornelius Kolig, Arthur Kostner, Hubert Kostner, Eric Kressnig, Hans Kupelwieser, Maria Lassnig, Marianne Maderna, Manfred Makra, Valerie Messini, Damjan Minovski, Gerhardt Moswitzer, Matt Mullican, Oswald Oberhuber, Franz Xaver Ölzant, Fritz Panzer, Helga Philipp, Franz Pichler, Walter Pichler, Josef Pillhofer, Klaus Pinter, Ingeborg G. Pluhar, Karl Prantl, Hannes Priesch, Claus Prokop, Lisa Rastl, Christiane Reiter, Erwin Reiter, Werner Reiterer, Frenzi Rigling, Meina Schellander, Eva Schlegel, Walter Schmögner, ManfreDu Schu, Fabian Seiz, Zbyněk Sekal, Steinbrener/ Dempf & Huber, Fritz Steinkellner, Oswald Stimm, Erwin Thorn, Jochen Traar, Andreas Urteil, Walter Vopava, Manfred Wakolbinger, Paul Wallach, Uta Weber, Walter Weer, Lois Weinberger, Clemens Weiss, Franz West, Markus Wilfling, Fritz Wotruba, Reimo Wukounig, Erwin Wurm, Regina Zachhalmel, Tilmann Zahn and Leo Zogmayer.