The great social fabric - sculpture in the spa park

Mysticism, thoughts, themes, ideas, states of the soul, dream experiences and experienced are starting points to make the visual arts visible. In form and color, simple, pure, primitive, naive, real, concrete, abstract, intellectual, as a profession, need or therapy. If there is a theme or an idea, which (s) should be implemented sculpturally, then an image develops in the mind of artist Heinrich Untergantschnig, supported by working while designing on paper, clay or directly on the material from which it is to arise. Intensive "developing" of the motive, until clarity is present in the head about form and content in the three-dimensional, presupposes that then the work can be executed accordingly, what was previously visible in thought, in the image, in the head. Just working on it, with an idea but without a concept, presupposes a different certainty, be it trust, the joy of daring and sensitive sensing of possibilities that are in the medium. Drawing from within, making visible the state of the soul, already recognizable on the surface, the form, the theme; deeper encoded a secret. Deprivation, hunger for the earthly or mystical life are the sources of creative work.

Beautiful arts become visible through beautiful-minded people, 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 is also part of the artist's profession. The artist makes the highest idealistic demands on himself and on spiritual systems, and yet at the same time he must move in the everyday, in the provisional, in the most miserable garbage dumps, or move them. He must 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 truth of theologians, but also the principle of art.

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

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

Title of the work: "The great social fabric"
Material: Krastal marble
Dimensions: base 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 Visual Artists of Austria 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 Art Forum Millstatt
1997 Purchase of the farm "vlg. Unterlienzner" at the Grafenberg
2002 Monograph "A Mölltaler sculptor"
2002 Participation in the 1st international Biennale of Contemporary Art-Austria
2002 Foundation of the gallery in the Flattacherhof
2005 Summer Academy Tammerburg/Lienz

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

Exhibitions and participations
1975 Exhibition of the sculpture classes in the art pavilion Salzburg
1979-2009 Exhibitions of BV in the town house Klagenfurt
1988-2007 Nativity and Passion exhibitions in the Heimatwerk Salzburg
1998 Austrian Postsparkasse Villach
1999 Solo exhibition BV- Gallery Klagenfurt
2000-2002 Gallery 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. international Biennale of Contemporary Art-Austria
2003 Solo exhibition Gallery Lungau, Mauterndorf
2003 Gallery de Bretter/Tresdorf
2004 Solo exhibition Castle Krastowitz-Klagenfurt
2004 Gallery de'Bretter, Tresdorf
2004 Castle Rothenthurn near Spittal/Drau
2005 Wood sculptures in the Q3 in Villach
2005 Gallery de'Bretter, Tresdorf
2005 Bildungshaus St. Georgen/Längsee
2005 gegenwart 2005 Bad Hofgastein
2006 Passion exhibition town hall St. Veit/Glan
2006 Mille Statue Millstatt
2006 Gallery de'Bretter', Tresdorf
2006 Krippenbiennale GALERIE MUH, 1st prize
2007 Gallery Lungau, Art Im IRLAND near Obervellach
2008 international sculpture symposium in Mallnitz
2009 Eigenbrot - Grafenberg
2009 Participation Agrar-Projekt-Preis-Österreich
2010 Orthopädie Dr. Grübl - Vienna
2011 sculpture symposium NIMIS - Italy
2011 Impulscenter Seeboden
2012 Krippenbiennale GALERIE MUH, 1st prize