Hans Kupelwieser

The sculptor Hans Kupelwieser has developed an artistic approach that could almost be referred to as ‘post-sculptural sculpture’. His aim is not only to create abstract forms but a permanent questioning of the idea of three-dimensionality by means of a deconstructive aesthetic practice. Kupelwieser, whose definition of sculpture was inspired by the theories of his teachers Bazon Brock and Peter Weibel, works on industrial materials such as perspex using various methods, whereby he likes to bring a moment of unpredictability into play, which he refers to as a ‘guided coincidence’. The result of these controlled experiments are objects that – compacted, folded or cut into blocks – challenge the viewer’s perception.

In the 1990s, the artist also worked on objects that could be inflated by compressed air; ‘pneumatic sculptures’ which he calls ‘gonflables’. Hans Kupelwieser’s broad definition of sculpture also encompasses other media such as photography, the two-dimensionality of which he employs to explore the field of tension between surface and volume. For example, he creates photograms of textiles that examine the porousness of the fabric, reminiscent of organic plant forms. “I force the relationships and reciprocities,” writes the artist, “and demonstrate that there are varying manifestations – I could also say aggregate states – for all objects.”

Hans Kupelwieser was born in 1948 in Lunz am See, Lower Austria. He lives and works in Vienna and Lunz am See.