Dispositives and Interferences
Notes on the work of Esther Stocker
The horizon of the lowlands of Holland, a suspended pier in an almost monochromatic continuum of sea and sky, can be translated into an extremely simplified image on canvas (Mondrian). But something occurs when this simplification happens. On one hand, itâs as if from the viewing experience structured lines have emerged that assemble the vision of the objects observed: a sort of immaterial ideography, where reality tends to expose itself as âessential.â On the other hand, something else emerges from this ideography on canvas, the surface on which the images are realized: the orthogonal structure of the inherent lines of the paintingâs primary geometric form. The gridâoscillating between the essence of the vision of objects and the geometric components of the painting through which that very vision is renderedâhas represented in the history of Western painting an extraordinary dispositive that reflects reality. The viewer is placed not only in front of an essence that denies every comforting sensation with which the world clothes him and a concrete revelation of the painting âby itself,â but also in front of an essential dimension of his own being that does not have much to do with his personal culture, personal history and tastes, but instead regards the general and âanonymousâ characteristics of his (and obviously not just his) psycho-perceptive condition.
In this condition we must perceive an irregular black area as if it were a rectangle that âcontinuesâ below a blue triangle (Malevich). From the reduction of the multiplicity of the world (even if it is the already extremely simplified Dutch world by Mondrian) to the steady structures of the images, the revelation of what constitutes the âinternalâ structure of the surface, which receives the image, touches no ontological foundation of the image (as Rosalind Krauss would say). But in the case of the receiver of the imageâthat is the observer/viewerânaturally he perceives the image even before being conscious and aware of it. That the black rectangle seems to continue underneath the blue triangle (in a gestalt environment this is called âamodal completionâ) is the game, then discovered, of how things appear, not how they are. Our lives take place within the constitutive asymmetry between thinking/knowing and seeing, in a constant and definite balance and reorganization between what we see and what we actually know about what we see.
So there on the canvas, the image is at the same time something to see and to know/think about, highlighting the intimate structure of reality (just as supporting structures of a building come to light despite the ornamentation); where the structural characteristics (the grid) are highlighted by the same surfaces that receive the image, (ideally making the image and the surface one), when in some way a truth of the image seems revealed in the splendor of the tautology and in the utopia of transparencyâthis is where the perceptive characteristics of the receiver of the image come into play; characteristics that highlight ambiguity, not certaintyâ
relative to what I see little by littleâbut both are part of the same physiological act of seeing things. Esther Stocker is correct when she reminds us that something extremely complex happens when a sign meets a surface.
Thereâs also another affirmation, perhaps even more inherent in her research, which merits our attention. It can be described by this quotation: âThe mimicry of animals is based on the limited perceptions of their predators.â In the light of this quotation, letâs consider the work of this Viennese artist and try to comprehend where this movement occurs when it is portrayed in her research of geometric abstraction, by now a classic in the modern age and in the research of the 1950s and 1960s, in particular by Italian artists (Colombo, Varisco, De Vecchi, Mari). The concept of mimicry (Tarnung, camouflage) to me seems fundamentally unrelated to modernism. If it did contribute to the philosophic-platonic background of the issue of images and imitative arts in general, it contributed to a background linked to the concept of Mimesis.
The concept is very effective in confirming the distinction between painting and other techniques, condemning painting for its vain and deceiving production of mere representations of reality. A substantial amount of twentieth-century art came out of mimicry, or rather the concept rediscovered the beauty of numbers and order, even if in a Pythagorean-Platonic environment. In a rigorous arrangement of very few elements, the image on the canvas translated a dimension illusive from reality but in this case ideal: In the painting a visible aspect of the idea is shown.
In the fields dedicated to the study of animal behavior, the terms mimetic or mimicry do not at all refer to the philosophical problems of Plato; instead they refer to survival techniques. The term is used even among humans, mostly in military language, and still carries a definition connected to hiding oneself and blending into a given situation with a defensive or offensive objective.
This definition of mimicry, which is quite different from Platonic echoes, seems useful to get close to Stockerâs work. I notice that when observing her work I have difficulty describing it (am I alone in this?), because she insists on ambiguities and uncertainties in appearance; because it is an elusive work that at the same time is precise. It seems to be a strategy to attract the viewer, and just as when we have trouble bringing an object into focus, our gaze persistently returns to it. It is a work that camouflages itself in the folds of perception and a catalogue of solutions and elaborate, modern dispositives. Is it then a work of defensive camouflage for the observer/predator? Or a subtle âoffensiveâ strategy in order to propose the problem of the autonomy of âvision,â a problem that does not seem at all to have been exhausted by current, contemporary research. In this way, one knows that Stockerâs work doesnât at all concern a rethinking of aspects that have been analyzed for some time by Gestalt psychology, and that the work is not based on gestalt logic, even if it reminds one of that. This is the clear plan, the revealed game, the âconfessedâ camouflage. The orthogonal grid, a dispositive for excellence, is a game revealed and present in her works since 1997. The grid is presented in various ways, some of which show a partial cancellation of lines as if a regulating dispositive were suffering a progressive loss of meaning: Sometimes some lines appear incomplete, and the eye instinctively averts the interruption and tries to go beyond it and connect the detached parts; and geometric figures emerge from the orthogonal net, but it is as if they were indecisively oscillating back and forth from the net. But it probably no longer concerns the pictorial grid but an even more complex regulating system of the image that shows its leaksâa system that ârevealsâ in itself its weaknesses and at the same time more effectively camouflages itselfâlike files on a hard disk corrupted by an undetectable virus. In some previous reviews, Stockerâs works have been compared to urban maps or to the layout of buildings in a metropolis. And like a hard diskâs files that are disappearing, possible plans and urban maps are superimposed on the surface areas of a big city: Here the works obviously suggest some narrative connections in an attempt to interpret them, as if the images were speaking to us of todayâs times. But this more ânarrativeâ reading does not exclude the perceptively ambiguous plan of the work, and it does not exclude its being, from a formal view, an internal reflection on the big, analytical dispositive of painting, and in particular that of twentieth-century geometric abstraction. And it all starts, as always, from the surface of a painting, recalling a visual, minimalist grammar composed of very few elements: orthogonality (and the interferences that âdisturbâ it), background/figure, white/black and their gradations. And it is perhaps the strongest reference to Italian research; everything is in view, from a new relationship with the observer to the way the observer enters into the game of the work of art. Work which, in the most recent pieces by Stocker, consists not only of âpaintings,â but also of âenvironmentsâ (and here the Italian issue forcefully re-emerges: Gianni Colomboâs âelasticâ space seems to be a lesson that the Viennese artist has deeply assimilated), where the âwhite cubeâ of the museum and the gallery are to be acted upon and revealed as an ideal place of the âcapture.â Maybe the next step will concern the city itself; several years ago in South Tyrol, Stocker attempted this. Contemporary artists continue to research this, because it is in the public space where this game of form will be played, and where the plan of the âvisionâ of its full and problematic autonomy will be considered again.
In every serious philosophical question uncertainty extends to the very roots of the problem. (Wittgenstein)
Text: Riccardo Caldura
Works
Works
Biography
Esther Stocker
Lives and works in Vienna.
1974 born in Schlanders, Italy
1994 Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna (Prof. Eva Schlegel)
1996 Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Milano, Italy
1999 Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California
Solo Exhibitions (Selection)
2024 | Ambienti, MAXXI Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo, Rome IT |
Contradictions, Mondriaanhuis Amersfoort, NL | |
2023 | A mental scenario, Fondazione Alberto Peruzzo, Padua , IT |
2022 | “Esther Stocker: Return to Rationality” Galleria 10 A.M. Art, Milan |
2020 | âLoving Imperfectlyâ, Galerie Alberta Pane, Paris |
2019 | âAnarchy of Formsâ, drj art projects, Berlin |
âSANS LIMITEâ, Galerie St. Hilaire, Fribourg | |
2018 | Birgit Lauda Art Foundation, Wien |
âGeometrisches GlĂŒckâ, Museum gegenstandsfreier Kunst, Otterndorf | |
2017 | Galerie Frey “Out of Order”, Wien |
2016 | “APPROXIMATION LINĂAIRE”, LA BF15, Lyon France |
12.11.2016-14.01.2017 | |
“Esther Stocker: From the Future”, KHB-Kunsthalle Bratislava, 30.09.-20.11.2016 | |
“Esther Stocker: Geometrien”, Marcello Farabegoli Projects @ Italienische Botschaft – Palais Metternich Wien | |
2015 | “Esther Stocker. Die Tarnung der Bilder Ausstellungsreihe: Intervention â FlĂŒchtige Raumgrenzen”, Kunstverein Ludwigsburg |
2014 | “Esther Stocker. VerrĂŒckte Geometrie”, Kunstverein Ulm |
“Esther Stocker. Zweifel an der Geraden”, Kunstraum Dornbirn | |
Esther Stocker, Schloss Kastelbell | |
2013 | “Esther Stocker: Unlimited Space”, The Gallery of Modern Art, Roudnice nad Labem |
“Esther Stocker”, Krobath Wien | |
2012 | “Portrait of Disorder”, Museum Ritter, Waldenbuch |
“Form follows Vision”, Galerie Alberta Pane, Paris | |
“Degrees of Freedom”, Volkart Stiftung, Winterthur | |
2011 | “Difesa delle forme libere / In defense of free form”, Oredaria Arti Contemporanee, Rom |
“Dirty Geometry”, Galerie Alberta Pane, Paris | |
“Destino Comune”, Museo dÂŽArte Contemporanea, Rom | |
“Gestalt, Stufen zur Kunst”, KĂŒnstlerhaus Hannover | |
“Abstraktion und Verirrung”, Kunsthaus Kaufbeuren | |
“The Essential Collection”, ZĂŒrich | |
2010 | “La solitududine dellâopera (Blanchot”), Galleria Studio 44, Genua |
Krobath, Wien | |
Krobath, Berlin | |
Wannieck Gallery Brno, BrĂŒnn | |
2009 | “Nothing could be done – men were only men, and space was their eternal enemy”, (ELLISON), mkd – DĆŻm umÄnĂ | House of Art, ÄeskĂ© BudÄjovice |
2008 | “What I donât know about space”, Museum 52, London |
“Abstract Thought Is A Warm Puppy”, CCNOA – Center for Contemporary Non-Objective Art, BrĂŒssel | |
Galerie Krobath Wimmer, Wien | |
“geometrisch betrachtet”, Mumok – Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Wien | |
2007 | “Noise. Von der Kunst der Malerei”, Staatsoper, Wien |
“Esther Stocker”, Ragenhaus Bruneck | |
Galerie im Taxispalais, Innsbruck | |
2006 | Galleria Contemporaneo, Mestre, Italien |
Galleria unosunove, Rom (mit Peppe Perrone) | |
2005 | “Geometrisch betrachtet sind alle Richtungen im Raum gleichwertig”, Projektraum Deutscher KĂŒnstlerbund Berlin |
“Der Zusammenhang zwischen Teilen”, Plattform, Berlin | |
Minoritengalerien Graz | |
Deutsche Bundesbank, Frankfurt | |
“Was sind das fĂŒr GegenstĂ€nde, die wir voraussetzen? (Quine)”, Galerie Krobath Wimmer, Wien | |
2004 | “Das Wort âgleichartigâ zieht unsere Aufmerksamkeit auf sich und doch besagt es eigentlich gar nichts”, AR/GE Kunst Galerie Museum, Bozen |
Galerie Martina Detterer, Frankfurt (mit Robert KlĂŒmpen) | |
2003 | Galerie im Kunsthaus MĂŒrz |
Galerie im Trakl-Haus, Salzburg (mit Suse Krawagna) | |
Galerie Krobath Wimmer, Wien | |
“Who needs structure”, Open End, Chicago (mit Marc Le Blanc) | |
2002 | Galerie Christine Mayer, MĂŒnchen | Munich (mit Klaus Auderer) |
2001 | Galerie Krobath Wimmer, Wien |
Galerie Antonio Ferrara, Reggio Emiglia | |
1997 | Malerei, Galerie Trabant, Wien |
Group Exhibitions (Selection)
2024 | ALL OVER, Haus Konstruktiv ZĂŒrich, Switzerland |
2022 | Parallel Skulpturenpark, Toscana Park Gmunden, Gmunden |
“Anniversaire de la Fondation Aurelie Nemours – 20 ans exposition collective, Centre d’art privĂ© dĂ©diĂ© au dessin contemporain, Paris | |
“Collections of Echigo Tsumari Triennale 2022, Niigata, Japan | |
“Lost in Space”: Raum, Ding und Figur Entwicklungen innerhalb der Skulptur seit 1945″, Museum Liaunig, Neuhaus | |
2020 | Groupshow Krobath Wien, Wien |
âNON-SCULPTURE: LIGHT OR FLEXIBLEâ, 2020 Changwon Sculpture Biennale, Changwon | |
âMIND THE GAPâ, Museum fĂŒr Konkrete Kunst, Ingolstadt | |
âDer Traum von einem Feentempelâ, artistic intervention at Salzburger Festspiele, Salzburg | |
2019 | “Konkrete Gegenwart – Jetzt ist immer auch ein bisschen gestern und morgenâ, Museum Haus Konstruktiv, ZĂŒrich |
RAN, Roppongi Art Night, Tokyo | |
âSchwerpunkt Design IIâ, Kunst im Traklhaus, Salzburg | |
CENTURY, drj-artprojects, Berlin | |
âBuilding a Dialogue. Two Corporate Collections of Contemporary Artâ, Belgische Nationalbank, BrĂŒssel | |
2018 | âExtended Architecturesâ, Galerie Alberta Pane, Venezia |
âBroken Linesâ, Galerie Schmidt, Reith | |
âComplexityâ, Galerie XXI, Warsaw | |
âBlack Mirrorâ, Mario Mauroner Contemporary Art, Wien | |
âKlassentreffenâ, Werke der Sammlung SchĂŒrmann, Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Wien | |
âGameOmetryâ, Vasarely Museum Budapest, Budapest | |
â20 Jahre RLB KunstbrĂŒckeâ, Innsbruck | |
2016 | Marta Herford âDer fremde Raumâ, 29. 10. 2016 â 5. 02. 2017, Marta Herford (Gehry-Galerien) |
Setouchi Triennale 2016, Japan | |
“Malerei im Raum ABSTRAKT – SPATIAL”, Kunsthalle Krems | |
“DYSTOTAL”, Ludwig Forum Aachen | |
Augen-Blicke, Museum Liaunig, Neuhaus | |
Setouchi Triennale, Takamatsu | |
ABSTRAKT-SPATIAL, Kunsthalle Krems, Austria Accrochage, Galerie dr. Julius I ap. Berlin | |
Germany Tensioni strutturali #1, Galleria Eduardo Secci, Firenze, Italy Rendezvous Der Lander, Neuhangung der Sammlung Peter C. Ruppert, Konkrete Kunst Europa Nach 1945, Museum im Kulturspeicher, Wurzburg | |
Le temps de lâaudace et de lâengagement – De leur temps 5, Institut dâart contemporain, Villeurbanne/RhĂŽne-Alpes (IAC), Villeurbanne, France | |
2015 | “Ein Quadrat ist ein Quadrat ist ein Quadrat. Highlights aus der Sammlung Marli Hoppe-Ritter”,Museum Ritter, Waldenbuch |
“ANNA-MARIA BOGNER| MICHAEL KARGL | ESTHER STOCKER. Seeing Things”,Bildraum 07, Wien | |
“Esther Stocker & Pavel Hayek”,Galerie ZAVODNY, Mikulov | |
“Anna-Maria Bogner | Esther Stocker”,RLB KunstbrĂŒcke Innsbruck | |
Museum Liaunig, KĂ€rnten,Gang zur Glas- und Portraitminiaturen-Sammlung | |
2014 | ART & SCIENCE – 17th Edition of the Islamic Art Festival in Sharjah |
“In, Out and Art. Zum gegenwĂ€rtigen VerhĂ€ltnis von Architektur und Kunst”, Forum Stadtpark, Graz | |
“konkret-abstrakt, Parlament, Wien | |
2013 | “Entfernte NĂ€he”, Kunstgaleriebonn, Villa Faupel, Bonn (mit DĂłra Maurer) |
“Susanne Paesler, Esther Stocker”, Kunstverein Friedrichshafen | |
“Trait Papier. Un Essai sur le Dessin Contemporain”, Centre d’Art Contemporain, Yverdon-Les-Bains | |
“Esther Stocker, Eric Glavin, Robin Merkisch”, Spam Contemporary, DĂŒsseldorf | |
“Farbe Raum Farbe”, Georg Kolbe Museum, Berlin | |
Brno Art Open 2013, Sculpture in the streets, Brno | |
“GEO-NEO_POST”, OSAS, Vasarely Museum Budapest | |
2012 | “Subjective Involvement in Physical Spatial Entities”, Oredaria Arti Contemporanee, Rom |
“Abstraktion und Substraktion”, TemporĂ€re Autonome Zone, Galerie Lisa Ruyter, Wien | |
“Edifice Amiss: Constructing New Perspective”s, MassArt, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston | |
“The Meeting. On the life and work of Karl Spörk”, ISCP Brooklyn, New York | |
“Desiring the Real”, MUAC, Mexico City | |
“Utopie GESAMTKUNSTWERK”, Belvedere, 21er Haus, Wien | |
“Rasterfahndung. Das Raster in der Kunst nach 1945”, Kunstmuseum Stuttgart | |
“Mind the System Find the Gap”, Z33 – house for contemporary art, Hasselt, Belgien | |
Collection Sigrid and Franz Wojda, Museum Moderner Kunst KĂ€rnten, Ăsterreich | |
DER GEMALTE RAUM Werke aus der Sammlung Essl | |
2011 | “Beyond these I see You see””, Zbiornik Kultury, KrakĂłw (mit Isa Schmidlehner) |
“FĂŒnf RĂ€ume”, Austrian Cultural Forum, New York | |
“Corrispondenze Imprevisite”, Zur 54. Kunstbiennale von Venedig | |
“Plane, depth, space”, Moravian Gallery Brno, BrĂŒnn | |
“Abstraction/ModernitĂ©”, Centre d’Art Passerelle, Brest | |
“Abstraction/Quotidien”, Centre d’art Passerelle, Brest | |
“ZĂ€hmung des Blicks”, Kulturstiftung der Nationalbank Griechenlands, Thessaloniki | |
“LIES AND LAYERS: ESTHER STOCKER AND JAN SERYCH”, Hunt Kastner, Prag | |
“Konkret â Konstruktiv â Minimal”, Haus der Kunst, Baden | |
“Anabasis. Rituals of Homecoming”, Ludwik Grohman Villa, Lodz | |
“Zwischen den Zeiten â Schnittstelle 2011”, Ausstellung der Kunsthalle Erfurt, “Peterskirche auf dem Petersberg”, Erfurt | |
Italienisches Kulturinstitut, Palais Sternberg, Wien | |
“Konkret – Konstruktiv – Minimal”, FeRRUM-welt des eisens, Ybbsitz | |
“Contemporary Design by Contemporary Artists”, ak 7, Galerie Elisabeth & Klaus Thoman | |
2010 | “Architektur und Körper – Katrina Daschner, Maria Hahnenkamp, Ć ejla KameriÄ, Dorit Margreiter, Ursula Mayer, Esther Stocker”, Krobath Berlin |
“The Art of Design. Ak7 Contemporary design by contemporary artists”, freiraum quartier21 International, Wien | |
“Originalfunktional. Zeitgenössisches KĂŒnstlerInnenmobiliaraus der Wiener Werk-Stadt”, Wiener Art Foundation, Wien | |
“Architektur und Körper â 4 fotografische Positionen von österreichischen KĂŒnstlerinnen”, Ăsterreichisches Kulturforum Prag | |
“High Ideals & Crazy Dreams”, Vera Munro, Hamburg | |
“With Your Eyes Only”, YUM, BrĂŒssel | |
“For Your Eyes Only”, De Markten, BrĂŒssel | |
“My Eyes keep me in Trouble”, La Station, Nizza | |
“Abstraction and Structure”, Bernhard Knaus Fine Art, Frankfurt | |
CORSO Werke der Sammlung Essl im Dialog | |
2009 | “SAMMELLUST. Werke aus der Sammlung Finstral”, kunst Meran |
“With Your Eyes Only. Display Reduktive Kunst”, Kunstverein Medienturm, Graz | |
“Kardinal-König-Kunstpreis fĂŒr Bildende Kunst”, Kunstraum St. Virgil, Salzburg | |
“Kleine Formate”, Galerie Martina Detterer, Frankfurt am Main | |
“CELLA. Strukturen der Ausgrenzung und Disziplinierung”, Complesso “Monumentale di San Michele a Ripa Grande”, Rom | |
“Good night, sleep tight”, UpLoad Art Project, Trient | |
“Nocturnes. Young Italian Artists on Museion Facade”, Museion, Bozen | |
Wiener Musterzimmer, Orangerie, Unteres Belvedere, Wien | |
Zero Budget Biennial, Galerie Carlos Cardenas, Galerie schleicher+lange, Paris | |
“Anabasis. Rituals of Homecoming”, Festiwal Dialogu Czterech Kulturâ09 | “Festival of Dialogue of Four Culturesâ09”, Ludwik Grohman Villa, ĆĂłdĆș | |
“Beyond these Walls”, South London Gallery, London | |
“Confines. Geography of the Boundary”, IVAM – Institut ValenciĂ d’Art Modern | IVAM CENTRE JULIO GONZĂLEZ, Valencia (kuratiert von Aaron Betsky) | |
“seeking constructive concrete structural 2.”, Vasarely MĂșzeum Budapest | |
“Labyrinth::Freiheit” – Landesausstellung 2009, Franzensfeste Fortezza / Franzensfeste Festung, SĂŒdtirol, Bozen | |
“Get connected”, KĂŒnstlerhaus, Wien | |
“BRANDNEU”. AnkĂ€ufe 2007 – 2008, Essl Museum, Klosterneuburg | |
“Works on Paper”, Museum 52, London | |
“Die Macht des Ornaments”, Orangerie, Unteres Belvedere, Wien | |
“Augmented”, Galerie Strickner, Wien | |
2008 | “There’s a better way to spend an afternoon”, Museum 52, London |
“the truth of basics, resetting the history of living between four walls”, Lift off 2008, Onomatopee, Eindhoven | |
“didi sattmann. kĂŒnstler / freunde”, KĂŒnstlerhaus, Wien | |
“YO, MOâ MODERNISM… 1”, Brussels Biennial, Off-Program, CCNOA – Center for Contemporary Non-Objective Art, BrĂŒssel | |
ViennArt: “Entscheidungen. Wien und das symbolische Kapital”, MUSA – Museum auf Abruf, Wien | |
“My Eyes keep me in trouble”, SCA – Sydney College of the Arts, Sydney | |
“Genau + anders – Mathematik in der Kunst von DĂŒrer bis Sol LeWitt”, Mumok – Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Lugwig Wien, Wien | |
ART SHEFFIELD 08: “Yes, No, Other Options, Millenium Galleries”, Sheffield | |
Arrivi e Partenze. Italia. Artisti al di sotto dei 35 anni, Mole Vanvitelliana, Ancona | |
2007 | “5 plus 5 KĂŒnstler aus 5 Jahrzehnten”, Investkredit Bank AG, Wien |
“Wann immer vorerst”, BA-CA Kunstforum, Wien | |
“Scuola di Pittura”, Galleria Civica di Arte Contemporanea Trento | |
“Otto Mauer und seine PreistrĂ€ger”, Investkredit Bank AG, Wien | |
GALERIE. FOCUS WIEN, Kunstraum Innsbruck | |
“PASSION FOR ART – 35 Jahre Sammlung Essl”, Klosterneuburg | |
“Ob ich das sehe”, Kunstverein Heidelberg | |
2006 | NEUANKĂUFE. JUNGE MALEREI, Sammlung Essl, Klosterneuburg |
“Austrian Abstracts”, Artis et amicitiae, Rotterdam | |
“Modus Moduli”, Spazio Thetis, Venedig | |
“CoĂŻncidence suspecte”, CAN – Centre dâArt de NeuchĂątel | |
“Black/white & chewing gum”, Galerie Krobath Wimmer, Wien | |
“Ins Leere, Zacherl”-Fabrik, Wien | |
Zeitgenössische Kunst im Parlament, Wien | |
Ăsterreich 1900-2000. Konfrontationen und KontinuitĂ€ten, Sammlung Essl, Klosterneuburg | |
“abstrakt”, Niederösterreichisches Dokumentationszentrum fĂŒr Moderne Kunst, St. Pölten | |
“Opera Austria”, Centro per lÂŽArte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato | |
“Kunst fĂŒrs 20er Haus”, Ăsterreichische Galerie Belvedere, Wien | |
2005 | “Intermittent Territory for Alienated Figures”, Outrageous Look, New York |
“passion beyond reason”, wallstreet one, Berlin | |
“FarbrĂ€ume. Positionen aktueller Malerei”, MMKK – Museum Moderner Kunst KĂ€rnten, Klagenfurt | |
“extension turn”, Kulturforum der Ăsterreichischen Botschaft Tokyo, Tokio | |
“Entdecken und Besitzen. Einblicke in österreichische Privatsammlungen”, MUMOK – Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Wien | |
“Das Neue II”, Ăsterreichische Galerie Belvedere, Wien | |
2004 | “Premio Del Golfo” – Biennale Europea Arti Visive, La Spezia |
“Kleine Formate”, Galerie Martina Detterer, Frankfurt | |
“Vienna Coffee table”, Galerie Bernhard Knaus, Mannheim | |
“no risk – no glory”, loop-raum fĂŒr aktuelle Kunst, Berlin | |
“GEGEN-POSITION(EN). KĂŒnstlerinnen in Ăsterreich 1960-2000”, Museum Moderner Kunst, Stiftung Wörlen, Passau | |
“Der doppelte Blick”, Palais Thurn und Taxis, Bregenz | |
2003 | “Einbildung – Das Wahrnehmen in der Kunst”, Kunsthaus Graz |
“Favorites +”, Galerie Fortlaan17, Gent | |
“Panorama 03”, Bozener Bahnhof, Bozen | |
“Mimosen, Rosen, Herbstzeitlosen”, Kunsthalle Krems | |
“Painting Show”, Austrian Art Studio, Chicago | |
“Menschen, Kunstsammlung Volpinum”, Wien | |
“AuĂer Atem”. Fokus österreichische Malerei, Naussauischer Kunstverein, Wiesbaden | |
2002 | “Hier ist Dort 2”, Secession, Wien |
“CHinA. Schweiz in Ăsterreich”, Kunstsammlung Volpinum, Wien | |
“Collector’s Choice”. Sammlung Ploil, Neue Galerie, Graz | |
“current settings â Der mediale Blick als Transfer”, Kulturforum Hallein | |
“Variable StĂŒcke. Strukturen/Referenzsysteme/Algorithmen”, Galerie im Taxispalais, Innsbruck | |
“Eva Schlegel Connected”, Galerie 422, Gmunden | |
“Favorites”, Edition Artelier Graz | |
2001 | “Experimenta Blackbox”, Victorian Arts Center, Melbourne, Australien |
“Verstörtes ĂuĂeres”, Kunstsammlung Volpinum, Wien | |
“Nerven”, Galerie Kai Hilgemann, Berlin | |
2000 | “mission impossible”, Galerie Charim Klocker, Wien |
1999 | Galerie Charim Klocker, Wien |
“Gender Troubles”, Schikaneder Kino, Wien | |
“Nicht aus einer Position”, Semperdepot, Wien | |
“Weg aus dem Bild”, Galerie Georg Kargl, Wien | |
1998 | Galerie Krobath Wimmer, Wien |
“Spices, Academies, Diversities”, Semperdepot, Wien | |
“Schauplatz Goldrain”, Schloss Goldrain, Italien | |
1997 | “anwesend/abwesend”, Getznerfabrik, Nenzing, Ăsterreich |
1996 | “The very last Minute”, Semperdepot, Wien |
“Freitag der 13.”, Atelier 96, Wien | |
1995 | “Event”, Institute for Conteporary Art, Academy of Fine Arts, Wien |
Selected projects – art in public space & site-specific works
2023 | Austrian Parliament, Vienna |
2019 | “SQUARE UNIVERSE”, SUSAS 2019 – Shanghai, China |
2013 | Kunsthalle Palazzo, Liestal |
2012 | Display der Ausstellung “Utopie Gesamtkunstwerk”, 21er Haus, Wien |
“Parking Mazelle”, Metz | |
2010 | Undercover, Gdansk Outdoor Gallery Laznia, Gdansk, Polen |
âWandarbeit Nr. 26â, Wohnhausanlage Ehemalige Brauerei Liesing, Ăsterreich | |
2009 | O.T., Ausstellung “CELLA. Strukturen der Ausgrenzung und Disziplinierung”, Complesso Monumentale di San Michele a Ripa Grande, Rom |
“Nothing could be done – men were only men, and space was their eternal enemy. (Ellison)”, House of Art, ÄeskĂ© BudÄjovice | |
“Wiener Musterzimmer”, Orangerie, Unteres Belvedere, Wien | |
O.T., Ausstellung “Beyond These Walls”, South London Gallery, London | |
Wandarbeit Nr. 23, Foyer Mariahilferstrasse 4, Graz | |
O.T., 2009, Ausstellung “Confines. Geography of the Boundary”, IVAM – Institut ValenciĂ d’Art Modern | IVAM CENTRE JULIO GONZĂLEZ, Valencia | |
O.T., 2009, Ausstellung “Labyrinth::Freiheit – Landesausstellung 2009”, Franzensfeste Fortezza / Franzensfeste Festung, SĂŒdtirol, Bozen | |
Wandarbeit Nr. 22, 2009,” Augmented”, Galerie Strickner, Wien | |
2008 | O.T. (Eindhoven), Ausstellung/exhibition âthe truth of basics, resetting the history of living between four walls.â, Lift off 2008, Onomatopee, Eindhoven |
O.T. (42 Lightcafé & Restaurant), via Orazio, Bolzano | |
O.T. (Hypobank Innsbruck), Cafeteria Hypobank, Innsbruck | |
“What I donât know about space”, Ausstellung/exhibition MUSEUM 52, London | |
“Abstract thought is a warm puppy, Ausstellung/exhibition CCNOA – Center for Contemporary Non-Objective Art, BrĂŒssel | |
Wandarbeit Nr.21, Open Space, Art Cologne | |
Wandarbeit Nr.20, ARS â Akademie fĂŒr Recht und Steuern, Wien | |
geometrisch betrachtet, Ausstellung/exhibition Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Wien | |
2007 | Wandarbeit Nr.19, Mariahilferstrasse 4, Graz |
Wandbild Dorotheum, Treppenhaus Palais Dorotheum, Wien | |
Wandarbeit Nr.18, Kunstart Bozen, Bolzano | |
Antigravitation: Beweis Nr. 2 (Intervention mi / with Johanna Kirsch), Elektro Gönner, Wien | |
Container NiederstÀtter, NiederstÀtter AG, Brixen | |
Wandarbeit Nr.17, Ausstellung/exhibition âPassion for Artâ, Essl Museum, Klosterneuburg | |
Wandarbeit Nr.16, Ausstellung/exhibition âOb ich das seheâ, Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg | |
2006 | O.T., Installation aus zwei Teilen, Galerie im Taxispalais, Innsbruck |
O.T., Raumarbeit mit Holzplatten, Holzteilen, Farbe, Galerie im Taxispalais, Innsbruck | |
Silo Barth, Barth Innenausbau, Brixen | |
Wandarbeit Nr. 10, TONSPUR_passage / quartier 21, MQ – Museumsquatier Wien, Wien | |
Antigravitation: Beweis Nr. 1, Intervention mit Johanna Kirsch, Elektro Gönner, Vienna | |
Dal punto di vista formale, la parete esiste solo come superficie, come delimitazione di corpo e spazio; per quanto, in linea di principio, una faccia della parete non sappia nulla dell’altra. (Feldtkeller), Raumarbeit, Galleria Contemporaneo, Mestre | |
Wandarbeit Nr. 11, Galleria Contemporaneo Mestre | |
Wandarbeit Nr. 12, Mumokka, MUMOK – Museum fĂŒr Moderne Kunst Wien | |
Wandarbeit Nr. 13, Centre dâArt de NeuchĂątel | |
Wandarbeit Nr. 14, Centre dâArt de NeuchĂątel | |
Wandarbeit Nr. 15, Centre dâArt de NeuchĂątel | |
O.T., Installation aus vier Teilen, Ins Leere, Zacherlfabrik, Wien | |
2005 | “Was sind das fĂŒr Dinge, die wir voraussetzen? (Quine)”, Raumarbeit, Galerie Krobath Wimmer, Wien |
O.T., Ausstellung Minoritengalerien Graz | |
O.T., Ausstellung Minoritengalerien Graz | |
O.T., Ausstellung Minoritengalerien Graz | |
O.T., Ausstellung MMK – Museum fĂŒr Moderne Kunst KĂ€rnten, Klagenfurt | |
Wandarbeit Nr. 8, wallstreet one, Berlin | |
O.T., Ausstellung/exhibition âGeometrisch betrachtetm, sind alle Richtungen im Raum gleichwertigâ, Projektraum Deutscher KĂŒnstlerbund, Berlin | |
O.T., Intervention im Ăffentlichen Raum, Wallensteinplatz, Wien | |
I am afraid I must refuse, project wall, Kunsthalle Wien | |
Wandarbeit Nr. 9, Outrageous Look, New York | |
2004 | Wandarbeit Nr. 7, loop Raum fĂŒr aktuelle Kunst, guestroom, Berlin |
“Das Wort âgleichartigâ zieht unsere Aufmerksamkeit auf sich, und doch besagt es eigentlich gar nichts. (Frege)”, 2004, Ausstellung AR/GE Kunst Galerie Museum Bozen | |
O.T., Presselounge, Artforum Berlin 2004 | |
2003 | Wandarbeit Nr. 3, Galerie Krobath Wimmer, Wien |
Wandarbeit Nr. 4, 4 WEST 5 London | |
Wandarbeit Nr. 5, Galerie im Traklhaus, Salzburg | |
Wandarbeit Nr. 6, Mariahilferstrasse 4, Graz | |
2002 | Wandarbeit Nr. 2, Secession, Wien |
2001 | Wandarbeit Nr. 1, Kunstsammlung Volpinum, Wien |
2020 | Le prix Areélie Nemours 2020 |
2009 | Preis der Stadt Wien |
2007 | SĂŒdtiroler Preis fĂŒr Kunst am Bau |
2004 | Otto-Mauer-Preis |
Förderpreis fĂŒr Bildende Kunst des BKA | |
2002 | Anton-Faistauer-Preis |
Paul Flora Preis |
Selected Bibliography
2022 | Silvia Conta, âRitorno alla razionalitĂ â: Esther Stocker alla galleria 10 A.M. ART, Milanoâ, in: exibart, 24. 3. 22 |
Davide Landoni, âRitorno alla razionalitĂ . Esther Stocker in mostra a Milanoâ, in: Arts Life, 22. 3. 22 | |
2020 | Dominik Pazeller, âErstaunen, Entsetzen, Hoffnungâ, in: Der Vinschger, 15. 12. 2020 |
2019 | âEsther Stocker / TamĂĄs Jovanovics – Entering the Mess. A dialogue about the messy side of Minimalismâ, Hg. Esther Stocker, TamĂĄs Jovanovics, Raszternyomda Kft., Budapest 2019 (Kat.) |
âKonkrete Gegenwart â Jetzt ist immer auch ein bisschen gestern und morgenâ, Hg. Sabine Schaschl, Stiftung fĂŒr konstruktive, konkrete und konzeptuelle Kunst, Museum Haus Konstruktiv ZĂŒrich, Verlag fĂŒr moderne Kunst, Wien 2019 (Kat.) | |
âEsther Stocker. Geometrisches GlĂŒckâ, ed. Ulrike Schick, Museum gegenstandsfreier Kunst, Ottendorf, 2019 (Kat.) | |
2016 | Elena Esposito, âGegenwĂ€rtige Zukunft und zukĂŒnftige Gegenwarten, in: âABSTRACT â SPATIAL. Malerei im Raumâ, ed Verena Gamper, Kunsthalle Krems, Verlag fĂŒr moderne Kunst, Wien 2016 (Kat.) |
2015 | âVerrĂŒckte Geometrie. Mad Geometry. Esther Stockerâ, ed GĂŒnther Oberhollenzer, Esther Stocker, Kerber Verlag, Berlin 2015 (Kat.) |
2014 | “Zweifel an der Geraden”, ed Thomas HĂ€usle, Kunstraum Dornbirn |
âEsther Stocker. Nothing Could Be Done â Men Were Only Men, And Space Was Their Eternal Enemy. (Ellison)â in: âDĆŻm umÄnĂ ÄeskĂ© BudÄjovice 2013â1998 / ÄeskĂ© BudÄjovice House of Art 2013â1998,â ed Terezie NekvindovĂĄ, Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, Academic Research Centre, with the cooperation of the ÄeskĂ© BudÄjovice House of Art, Prague 2014 | |
2013 | Portrait of Disorder, ed Barbara Willert, Marli Hoppe, Ritter Museum, Waldenbuch |
âBrian Franke | Esther Stocker. Im Grunde sind wir untröstlich.â, Hg. Edition Krobath bei Evolver Books, Altenburg 2013 (Kat.) | |
“Unlimited Space”, ed Gallery of Modern Art in Roudnice | |
Christa Benzer, âEsther Stocker: Modernistische KnĂ€uel. Die in Wien lebende italienische Malerin zeigt in der Galerie Krobath Wien eine neue Objektserie, die sie durch ZerknĂ€ueln in Form gebracht hatâ, in: der Standard, 17. 4. 2013 | |
2009 | Wiener Musterzimmer, ed. Agnes Husslein-Arco, Wien 2009 (Kat.) |
Emmanuelle Lequeux, “Zero Budget Biennal”. In: Le Monde, 6. 9. 2009 | |
“seeking constructive concrete structural 2”, ed. Open Structures Art Society, Budapest 2009 (cat.) | |
Charles Darwent,”Beyond These Walls, South London Gallery, London”, in: The Independent, 02.08.2009 | |
Confines. Valencia 09. Pasajes de las Artes Contemporaneas, ed. IVAM Institut ValenciĂ d’Art Modern, Valencia 2009 (Kat.) | |
Lea Mattarella, “Ai confini della creativitĂ . I limiti materiali e immateriali indagati in una mostra all’Ivam attraverso opere di Kiefer, Buren, Fontana & Co.”, in: La Stampa, 25. 5. 2009 | |
Gregor Ziolkowski, “Grenzen schaffen Unterschiede. Ausstellung ,EntGrenzen’ in Valencia”, in: Deutschlandradio, 25. 5. 2009 | |
Black is Back, in: Page, 07/2009 | |
GET CONNECTED, ed. KĂŒnstlerhaus, Wien 2009 (Kat.) | |
synusi@blog casaluce geiger ::: guest ::: esther stocker, in: Drome magazine, N. 15/2009 | |
Martin Herbert, “Sifting Defunct Modernity in Search of Something Useful”, in: Tate Etc., 15/2009 | |
Microtate. Ewan Gibbs, Esther Stocker, Rachel Kneebone and Gavin Pretor-Pinney, in: Tate Etc., 15/2009 | |
Die Macht des Ornaments, Hg. Agnes Husslein-Arco, Sabine B. Vogel, Belvedere Wien, Wien 2009 [Kat] | |
Susanne Barta, Esther Stocker, in: alpenrosen, Jahresschrift fĂŒr Frauenkultur, 2009 | |
Louise Schouwenberg, Line Dancer, in: Frame Magazine, 67/2008 | |
2008 | Esther Stocker, geometrisch betrachtet, Hg. Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Rainer Fuchs, Wien 2008 [Kat] |
Ian Hunt, Sheffield 08: Yes, No and Other Options, in: Art Monthly April 2008 | |
Andrew Hunt, Sheffield 08, in: Frieze Jan/Feb 2008 | |
Adrian Searle, Clocking Off, in: Guardian G2, 26 02. 2008 | |
Ian Soutar, Park hill in the limelight, in: Sheffield Telegraph, 15. 02. 2008 | |
Esther Stocker exhibition, London, in: Wallpaper, 27. 06. 2008 | |
The work of Esther Stocker, in: Designboom, 06/2008 | |
Sally OâReilly, Esther Stocker, in: Timeout, 31. 07. 2008 | |
Heydon Prowse, The Art of Esther Stocker, in: Donât panic, 12. 08. 2008 | |
Elke Buhr, Schön. Sonst nichts? – Geometrisch, minimalistisch, cool, in: art, 08/2008 | |
Michael Fembek, Kunstbarometer 2008. Junge KĂŒnstler im Blickpunkt, in: Gewinn, 9/2008 | |
the truth of basics, resetting the history of living between four walls, Lift off 2008, Hg. Freek Lomme/Onomatopee, Eindhoven 2008 (Kat.) | |
Matylda, Esther Stocker: There it is, in black and white, in: matandme.net, 07. 11. 2008 | |
Shonquis Moreno, Eleven Interiors from Dutch Design week, in: ID, 12. 11. 2008 | |
Charles Darwent, Visual Art in 2008: How the Tate was given a good run for its money, in: The Independent, 28. 12. 2008 | |
2007 | Johan Holten, Ob ich das sehe, Hg. Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg 2007 [Kat] |
Passion for Art. 35 Jahre Sammlung Essl, Hg. Essl Museum, Klosterneuburg 2007 [Kat] | |
Eva Gratl, âSilo Barth in Brixenâ, in: turrisbabel 72/2007 | |
Peter Zeillinger, âDie Auslegung gibt die Regel und nicht umgekehrtâ, in: roadmap 07, Schönherr RechtsanwĂ€lte, Wien 2007 | |
Patterns 2. Muster in Design, Kunst und Architektur, Hg. Barbara Glasner, Petra Schmidt, Ursula Schöndeling, Basel 2008 | |
2006 | Jens E. Sennewald, âIm blinden Fleck â zur Egozentrik des Raumesâ, in: Transversale 2 |
Dieter Buchhart, âDer Raster als expansionsfĂ€higes und antihierarchisches Systemâ, in: Kunstforum 182/2006 | |
Nina Schedlmayr, âJunge Gildeâ, in: profil 27/2006 | |
Esther Stocker, Hg. Silvia Eiblmayr, Galerie im Taxispalais Innsbruck, Innsbruck 2006 [Kat] | |
Esther Stocker, Hg. Riccardo Caldura, Galleria Contemporaneo, Mestre 2007 [Kat] | |
opera austria. Frammenti di prospettive. L’arte nel cuore dell’ Europa, Hg. Christoph Bertsch, Silvia Höller, Stefano Pezzato, Centro per l’arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato 2006 (Kat.) | |
2005 | 22 interviews, Hg. Thomas Trummer, Atelier Augarten, Zentrum fĂŒr zeitgenössiche Kunst der Ăsterreichischen Galerie Belvedere, Wien 2005 (Kat.) |
Esther Stocker, Hg. Deutsche Bundesbank, Frankfurt a. M. 2005 (Kat.) | |
farb.rÀume, Hg. Andrea Madesta, Museum Moderner Kunst KÀrnten, Klagenfurt 2005 [Kat] | |
Sammlung Sigrid und Franz Wojda, Hg. Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Wien 2005 [Kat] | |
Andrea Domesle, âAtelier Augarten, Zentrum fĂŒr zeitgenössiche Kunst/Ăsterreichische Galerie Belvedere: Das Neue 2â, in: www.artmagazine.cc (21. 06. 2005) | |
Henriette Horny, âStrenge Skulptur fĂŒr groĂes Engagementâ, in: Die Presse, 20. 09. 2005 | |
Christian Schwazer, âMalerei als Denkwerkzeugâ, in: Tageszeitung, 2005 | |
2004 | ABSTRACTION NOW, Hg. Sandro Droschl et. al., KĂŒnstlerhaus Wien, Graz 2004 [Kat] |
âBiennale Europea Arti Visive La Spezia. Premio del Golfo 2004″, ed. Bruno Cora`/CAMEC Centro di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, 2004 (Kat.) | |
Martin Prinzhorn, âDer Schein der Klarheitâ, in: Parnass 4/2004 | |
Martin Hanni, âIch brauche die ungeordnete Ordnungâ, in: Tageszeitung, 25. 06. 2004 | |
Anny Ballardini, âEsther Stockerâ, in: www.exibart.com (06. 08. 2004) | |
Almuth Spiegler, âSchwarzweiss ist eine Farbeâ, in: Die Presse, 30. 11. 2004 | |
Rainer Metzger, âKarlsplatz: Handlungsanweisungen. Performativer Widerspruchâ, in: www.artmagazine.cc (01. 09. 2004) | |
Susanna Loof, âAn interactive experience in a Wien squareâ, in: The Hindu International, 02. 10. 2004 | |
2003 | Einbildung. Das Wahrnehmen in der Kunst, Hg. Peter Pakesch, Kunsthaus Graz, Köln / Cologne 2003 (Kat.) |
Panorama 03, Hg. Marion Piffer Damiani und / and Letizia Ragaglia, Wien, Bozen, 2003 [Kat] | |
KĂŒnstlerinnen â Positionen 1945 bis heute, Hg. Freunde der Kunstmeile Krems, Kunsthalle Krems, Krems 2003 (Kat.) | |
Nicole Scheyerer, âRechtecke, gewelltâ, in: Falter 18/2003 | |
Johanna Hofleitner, âKrobath Wimmer: Klebebandâ, in: Die Presse, 24. 04. 2003 | |
Isabella Marboe, âVariationen im Rasterâ, www.artmagazine.cc (07. 04. 2003) | |
Klaus Putzer, âBildermĂ€rchen, Rechtecke, Rasterâ, in: FF SĂŒdtiroler Wochenmagazin, 2003 | |
2002 | Hier ist dort 2, Hg. Secession, Wien, 2002 (Kat.) |
Variable StĂŒcke. Strukturen. Referenzen. Algorithmen, Hg. Silvia Eiblmayr, Galerie im Taxispalais Innsbruck, Wien 2002 (Kat.) | |
Esther Stocker. Malerei/Painting/Pittura 1997-2002, Hg. Galerie Krobath Wimmer, Wien 2002 (Kat.) | |
2001 | Andrea Winklbauer, âEsther Stocker. Einfach komplexâ, artmagazine, 2001 |
Johanna Hofleitner, âAusgestellt in Wienâ, Die Presse, 2001 | |
Florian Steininger, âEsther Stocker â Malereiâ, Pressetext, 2001 | |
Martin Prinzhorn, âVerstörtes Ăusseresâ, Pressetext, 2001 |
Exhibitions
Gallery Krobath:
Caroline Corleone | Theresa Eipeldauer | Anna Meyer | Muntean/Rosenblum | Haleh Redjaian | Esther Stocker | Katja Strunz | Sofie Thorsen | Jenni Tischer
08.12.2020â31.01.2021