Shrinking Vienna

Apocalyptic Landscapes and Constructivist Architectural Fantasies.

Hubert Scheibl (b. Gmunden, Austria, 1952; lives and works in Vienna) is a leading representative of abstract painting in Austria. Color and large formats are the defining characteristics of his oeuvre. In his vision of abstract art and nature, the interlocking of contingency and control or a focus on color and gesture, he creates works that trigger a synthesis of apocalyptic and hypnotic calm in his beholders. Drawing on film history understood as a collective memory, Scheibl quotes from American movies, including by the Coen brothers and the Wachowskis, in the titles of his works, displaying a sense of subtle irony and humor that counterbalances the gloom that has settled over his landscapes and opens up a space for the sublime in his painting.

The catalog accompanying the exhibition features painting series from the past decade as well as Scheibl's sculptures, which have received comparatively little public attention. With essays by Brigitte Hausmann and Tayfun Belgin.