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260312: Galerie Steinek - Settled
Galerie Steinek
Settled
7.03.2012 – 13.04.2012
Occupation: Gallery owner
by Susanne Rohringer
One can hardly believe it. The Steinek Gallery in the Eschenbachgasse is celebrating its 30th birthday this year.
Silvia Steinek is presenting "Settled", with works by artists in her gallery, as the first in the series of jubilee exhibitions. Upon entering the first room, one has to walk around a horse with rider – a work by the Salzburg artist, Peter Brauneis, who appears to compare "settled" with being mounted. Ilse Haider’s work, in her usual perfect manner, encapsulates the dilemma of life. Two stacking chairs are wedged into one another and tied together by means of fibre optic cables – yes, truly woven together. They attract each other and simultaneously push each other apart. "Stay or Go" – such is the apt title of this work. Suffering through others and oneself is also the basis of the works by Gudrun Kampl, as well as those of Matthias Herrmann, Julius Deutschbauer and Ilse Haider, all of whom have been represented by Silvia Steinek since 1990. Gudrun Kampl wonderful relief-like chairs are presented in the exhibition. They appear to have been carved in ranks out of cardboard with a fretsaw, and covered with velvet, conveying the appearance of Baroque chairs.
Matthias Herrmann presents his work "pig pieces”: photographs in which he re-enacts himself by means of different seating accommodations. He sometimes wears a pig's mask - an ironic citation that points to prejudices towards his work.
Newcomers to the gallery are Martin Schnur and Karen Holländer, and the young artists Olga Georgieva and Clemens Wolf. Austrian artist Karen Holländer’s work is remarkable: in one picture, Holländer created an eclectically designed self-portrait in which she paints herself in her atelier in different guises and poses. In one, her body hangs down from a horizontal bar, the skirt puffing out in folds over her upper body. Besides the large format, there's also a sort of painted chair where Holländer presents herself in a sitting position. She's holding a ball of wool in her lap and wears a T-shirt with the word "Hope”.
Last but certainly not least, one should look at a further chair in the gallery. A very important artist for the Steinek Gallery is represented here: Julius Deutschbauer – he covered a simple wooden chair with photographic paper showing Silvia Steinek with an injured leg and crutches. Deutschbauer originally made this photograph into a placard with the title "God Save Austria" at the time when the rightist government came into power in the year 2000. The affronted gallery owner is portrayed here as a synonym for the "deranged" Austria.
In talking to her, Silvia Steinek looks back at the beginnings of the gallery benignly. On the one hand, she's amazed that so many years have really gone by. She doesn't really feel as if she is still at the beginning but rather in the middle. Above all, she is extremely thankful to her father with whom she founded the gallery in the Himmelpfortgasse in 1982. He, Heinrich, is an avid collector and art connoisseur and brought his daughter, Silvia, into contact with art at a very early age. Artists such as Adolf Frohner and Walter Vopava belong to his circle of friends and were exhibited in the early years until Silvia Steinek developed her own profile more and more during the course of the 90's. The Steinek Hall was opened in 1990 in Vienna's 9th district in the Pramergasse, and is a grand presentation platform for the gallery's artists where they can show works from their studios to interested collectors. In 2006, the gallery moved to Eschenbachgasse.
How will things continue? It's very important to Silvia Steinek, who takes great pride in the successful interaction between artists and gallery owner, to keep her eyes open all the time and to work constantly towards achieving a congenial atmosphere for both customers and artists. Her next step is to go to Art Brussels with her artists. Further exhibitions in the Eschenbachgasse on the theme of "Thirty Years Gallery Steinek" will follow this year.
Galerie Steinek
1010 Vienna, Eschenbachgasse 4
Tel: +431/512 87 59
Fax: +431/512 87 59
E-mail: galerie@steinek.at
http://www.galerie.steinek.at
Opening hours: Tue-Fri: 13:00-18:00; Sat: 11:00- 5:00 hours
Mehr Texte von translated and summarized by: Liz Wollner-Grandville
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260312
Galerie Steinek
1010 Wien, Eschenbachgasse 4
Tel: +431/512 87 59, Fax: +431/512 87 59
Email: galerie@steinek.at
http://www.galerie.steinek.at
Öffnungszeiten: Di-Fr: 13-18h
Sa: 11-15h
Galerie Steinek
1010 Wien, Eschenbachgasse 4
Tel: +431/512 87 59, Fax: +431/512 87 59
Email: galerie@steinek.at
http://www.galerie.steinek.at
Öffnungszeiten: Di-Fr: 13-18h
Sa: 11-15h
