Works by Christine and Irene Hohenbüchler in the Belvedere
Cage-like children’s beds under a colorful world of gods: in the “Carlone Contemporary” series, the Belvedere in Vienna presents contemporary artists every six months who take a position on the baroque frescoes in the hall of the Upper Belvedere named after the illusion painter Carlo Innocenzo Carlone. From today, Thursday, the works of the twin sisters Christine and Irene Hohenbüchler, some of which are based on pieces of furniture, can be seen.
Until September 12, early works by the artists from an extensive donation from a Dutch collector as well as a newly created installation will be exhibited. The objects called “cages”, which are reminiscent of children’s sleeping interiors, date from around 1993. The limestone objects, which are reminiscent of bones or vertebrae, were created at the end of the 1980s. In addition, bookcases and airy white metal shelves with fragile-looking anthropomorphic sculptures welcome visitors.
“Christine and Irene Hohenbüchler’s art, which is rich in content and unmistakable in form, has been an integral part of contemporary Austrian art for decades. In the Upper Belvedere, references to their work can be found in the frescoes of the former ‘society summer room'”, said Belvedere General Director Stella Rollig, who curated the project in a broadcast.
The Hohenbüchler siblings were born in Vienna in 1964. They were represented with solo exhibitions in the Kunstmuseum Bonn, in the exhibition hall for contemporary art in Münster and in the Kunsthalle Krems. Christine Hohenbüchler heads the Institute for Art and Design at the Vienna University of Technology. Irene Hohenbüchler holds a professorship for cooperative strategies at the Art Academy in Münster.
(SERVICE – Christine and Irene Hohenbüchler in the “Carlone Contemporary” series in the Upper Belvedere (Carlone Hall), March 18 to September 12, www.belvedere.at)