Galerie Dantendorfer
PETRA LUPE
ichbinimmerviele
18 November 2021 – 11 February 2022
Exhibition: ichbinimmerviele
Artist: Petra Lupe
Period: 18 November 2021 – 11 February 2022
Ichbinimmerviele – many techniques, many perspectives, many formats, many materials, many layers, many repetitions, many steps, many thoughts. The exhibition offers insight into the diverse work of the Upper Austrian artist Petra Lupe and showcases her remarkable handling of different materials and techniques.
The centerpiece of the exhibition consists of three series: Textur, Offene Räume and Inside my coloured world.
The works from the 2020 Textur series are united by an engagement with different material textures. By layering ash, egg tempera, and cotton, exciting surface structures emerge, creating a desire in the viewer to touch and feel them. The works are linked by monochromy, which is repeatedly interrupted by changes in texture and light.
The concept of space acquired new meaning last year – space to work, space to enjoy, space to live, space to be, mental spaces, and emotional spaces. In the Offene Räume series, Petra Lupe processes experiences of restriction and confinement, as well as the desire for freedom – not only externally but especially internally.
It is astonishing how many facets a single color can hold – in the works from the Inside my coloured world series, one can immerse oneself in color exploration and continually discover new shades, surface textures, and patterns.
From canvas to paper and sewn works to objects, the artist calls it “work according to the trial-and-error principle.” Many materials are recycled by Lupe and find their way from her surroundings into her works. The artist experiments with them, exploring the different properties and qualities of ash, cotton, cardboard, tempera… She works in series, which is especially important for her, because only through repeated engagement with a theme or material can she delve deeper and gradually reach the right visual language, layer by layer.
Viewed as a whole, the works reveal a multitude of qualities that often oppose each other in our societal understanding: Male – Female, Monochrome – Polychrome, Rough – Fine, Chance – Plan, Light – Dark, Fullness – Reduction, Emotional – Rational, Calm – Movement. Lupe succeeds in combining these apparently contradictory elements into a symbiosis. Everything finds its place and contributes to a diverse yet singular overall picture.
Text: Selin Stütz
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