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[title]Although something of a behemoth in the German-speaking art world, this is contemporary Austrian artist Heimo Zobernig's first exhibition in Zagreb. He operates in different media, such as sculpture, design and installations, but this new exhibition concentrates only on his paintings.
Visual provided by Zagreb Museum of Contemporary Art
Born in Mauthen, Austria in 1958, Zobernig attended Vienna's Academy of Fine Arts in the late '70s but switched to the Academy of Applied Arts, from where he graduated in 1983. He stayed on to teach there until 1999 when the Academy of Fine Arts poached him. He remains a part of the faculty there until this day.
Visual provided by Zagreb Museum of Contemporary Art
The exhibition in Zagreb displays Zobernig's work from 2009-2018. In it, we can see Zobernigs recognisable playfulness in conceptual art. Rich in colour, Zobernig is well known for creating discrete content, playing with lines and smudges, challenging observers to find shapes and even characters within them. Sometimes he is more straightforward, funny, provocative, ironic, even paradoxical. A great example is the painting which simply says 'This new monochrome painting' (even though it's not very 'mono' at all).
Visual provided by Zagreb Museum of Contemporary Art
Again, a discreet work, the text does not appear immediately but emerges after the viewer looks closer. Steadfastly loyal to his self-imposed rules, Zobernig is nevertheless highly innovative, continuing the long tradition of conceptual art questioning what is the point of art itself.
Visual provided by Zagreb Museum of Contemporary Art
Visual provided by Zagreb Museum of Contemporary Art
Visual provided by Zagreb Museum of Contemporary Art
Visual provided by Zagreb Museum of Contemporary Art
Visual provided by Zagreb Museum of Contemporary Art
Visual provided by Zagreb Museum of Contemporary Art
Visual provided by Zagreb Museum of Contemporary Art
Visual provided by Zagreb Museum of Contemporary Art