The great social structure - sculpture in the Kurpark

Mysticism, thoughts, themes, ideas, states of the soul, dream experiences and experiences are starting points to make the visual arts visible. In form and colour, simple, pure, primitive, naive, real, concrete, abstract, intellectual, as profession, need or therapy. If there is a theme or an idea which is to be sculpturally realized, an image develops in the mind of the artist Heinrich Untergantschnig, supported by the work of designing on paper, clay or directly on the material from which it is to be created. Intensive "developing" of the motif until clarity is present in the head about form and content in the three-dimensional, presupposes that the work can then be executed accordingly, what was previously visible in thought, in the picture, in the head. Working only on it, with an idea but without a concept, requires a different kind of security, be it trust, a willingness to take risks and a sensitive feeling for the possibilities that are in the medium. To draw from the inside, to make visible the state of the soul, already recognizable on the surface, the form, the subject; more deeply encoded a secret. Privation, hunger for the earthly or mystical life are the sources for creative work.

Beautiful arts become visible through people with a beautiful mind, but not necessarily. Arnulf Rainer says about the figure of Christ: "The cross, as a principle, like the Son of God, must bring together all dimensions. And this bringing together also belongs to the profession of the artist. The artist places the highest idealistic demands on himself and on spiritual systems, and yet at the same time he must move or move in the everyday, in the temporary, in the most miserable rubbish dumps. He has to face the material and transpose it. Mysticism alone is of no interest to the artist: the mystical and the dirt, the daily misery must be brought together. This is a well-known theologian's truth, but also the principle of art.

The artist goes through phases in his existence where positive and negative alternate - and this is then expressed in the works. Euphoria, melancholy, obsession and desire are the driving forces. Heart, head and stomach stand for the result. The otherwise deep, hidden soul is brought up to the surface, becomes visible in form and colour.

An essential need for me is to give soul to the work so that it can be a message, a question, an anchor and inspiration.


Title of the work: "Das große soziale Gefüge"
Material: Krastaler Marmor
Dimensions: Base area 80 x 50 cm, Height 250 cm
Weight: 2 t
Year of creation: 2012

Biography Heinrich Untergantschnig
1959 in Grafenberg / Mölltal born
1973-1974 Agricultural Technical School Stiegerhof
1974-1978 Technical School for Wood and Stone Sculptors in Hallein / Salzburg with Prof. Bernhard Prähauser
Since 1978 member of the Professional Association of Austrian Visual Artists and freelance
1991-1993 Master School for Sculptors in Munich with Krottenthaler and Strauchmann, Master's examination, study trips to Budapest and Egypt
1988-2002 Participation in the Kunstforum Millstatt
1997 Purchase of the farm "vlg. Unterlienzner" at Grafenberg
2002 Monograph "Ein Mölltaler Bildhauer"
2002 Participation in the 1st International Biennale of Contemporary Art-Austria
2002 Foundation of the Galerie im Flattacherhof
2005 Summer Academy Tammerburg/Lienz

Heinrich Untergantschnig lives and works as a mountain farmer and sculptor at Grafenberg/Mölltal


Exhibitions and participations

1975 Exhibition of sculpture classes in the Kunstpavillon Salzburg
1979-2009 Exhibitions of the BV in the Stadthaus Klagenfurt
1988-2007 Cribs and Passion exhibitions in the Heimatwerk Salzburg
1998 Österreichische Postsparkasse Villach
1999 Solo exhibition BV- Galerie Klagenfurt
2000-2002 Galerie Rondula Iselsberg/Lienz
2001 Aut. Art Forum in Weimar/BRD
2001 Festival of Christian Art in Wasserburg/Inn BRD
2001 Solo exhibition in the cloister of the monastery Millstatt, Körper + Seelen
2002 Gallery Fersterer, Saalbach
2002 Romanischer Karner, St.Veit/Glan
2002 Participation in the 1.
2003 Solo exhibition Galerie Lungau, Mauterndorf
2003 Galerie de Bretter/Tresdorf
2004 Solo exhibition Schloss Krastowitz-Klagenfurt
2004 Galerie de'Bretter, Tresdorf
2004 Schloss Rothenthurn bei Spittal/Drau
2005 Wood sculptures in Q3 in Villach
2005 Galerie de'Bretter, Tresdorf
2005 Bildungshaus St. Georgen/Längsee
2005 gegenwart 2005 Bad Hofgastein
2006 Passion exhibition Rathaus St. Veit/Glan
2006 Mille Statue Millstatt
2006 Gallery de'Bretter', Tresdorf
2006 Crib Biennale GALERIE MUH, 1st Prize
2007 Gallery Lungau, Art In Ireland near Obervellach
2008 international sculptor symposium in Mallnitz
2009 Own Bread - Grafenberg
2009 Participation Agrar-Projekt-Preis-Österreich
2010 Orthopedics Dr. Grübl - Vienna
2011 sculptor symposium NIMIS - Italy
2011 Impulscenter Seeboden
2012 Nativity Biennale GALERIE MUH, 1st prize

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