An exhibition, curated by Austrian artist Marjan Habibian, features artworks of four Austrian artists at Stal Gallery. The exhibition is on till February 28

On the occasion of the celebration of 50 years of diplomatic relations between Oman and Austria, the Austrian Embassy in Oman, in collaboration with Stal Gallery and Studio, presents a cross-cultural initiative, stimulating a dialogue between both countries, through an interactive art programme at Stal Gallery.

‘Growth’ is a cross-cultural programme, initiated and supported by the Embassy of Austria in Oman. The programme is focused on the cultural aspect and culminates in an exhibition which was inaugurated on February 14 by H E Sayyid Saeed bin Sultan al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, under the auspices of H E Christian Brunmayr, Ambassador of Austria to Oman.

The exhibition was curated by Austrian artist Marjan Habibian and features artworks of Austrian artists – Elisabeth Gschiel, Marlene Gollner, Walter Kratner and Marjan Habibian.

“Growth is always accompanied by pain. Be it the growth of a plant seed, the physical growth of a human being or an animal, the intellectual growth of a human being, or even the growth of a culture, society, and civilisation. All of this requires awareness and in step of which pain is an integral part. Prosperity, beauty, and progress reach higher levels – achieving results requires effort, perseverance, tolerance, and awareness,” Marjan says.

The four artists from Austria present their art using tools of different forms of art. This includes words, photos, space, materials, lines, shapes, colours or hybrid combinations of these. From the individual works and groups of works in this exhibition one can easily recognise that the artists primarily understand ‘growth’ as an aesthetic transformation process.

Elisabeth Gschiel, whose motifs do not draw with a pen, but sew them like threads on paper with a sewing machine, invites you to witness a craft traditionally attributed to women from the female point of view.

The sculptures, vessels or body volumes by Marlene Gollner allow a resonance and interaction between the visible and the hidden to be experienced. Wild silk fibres are the material of these body shells, obtained from the cocoons of silkworms in the metamorphosis between chrysalis and butterfly.

Walter Kratner`s work is about standardised portraits which have been retouched with graphite and oil. The viewer will realise that nationality or cultural background cannot even be guessed at a second glance.

Finally, Marjan Habibian’s drawings and paintings are interspersed with painterly elements and also contain influences from Persian ornamentation.

The artists have all striven to soften traditional media boundaries and open them up for discussion.

An Art Talk was also held on February 15 wherein the artists shared their work-in-progress as well as their thoughts on Austrian contemporary art, and the current exhibition.

Working together…

“The celebration of 50 years of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Austria and the Sultanate of Oman represents an excellent framework to work together on contemporary art projects, such as the exhibition ‘Growth’ at Stal Gallery,” said H E Christian Brunmayr, Austrian Ambassador to Oman.