ALBEMARLE

MARIO DALPRA

MARIO DALPRA

Mario Dalpra studied with Arnulf Rainer in a very free atmosphere at the Academy of Art in Vienna. Since the 1980s, he has been unfolding a multi-layered oeuvre in the charged field of painting, actionism, sculpture and other three-dimensional objects. This work was increasingly subject to a process of re-constitution owing to his travels in the Far East and periods of several months spent there, at first seven years in Australia, then Indonesia and from 1999/2000 India. In his paintings, drawings and sculptures, he embarked on an intensive engagement with “artistic” forms of expression from foreign cultures and ethnicities, at first with the First People of Australia, years later with traditional Indonesian and Indian arts and crafts.

The sculptural work of Mario Dalpra:Art is the great enabler of life Friedrich Nietzsche

When you walk into Mario Dalpra’s spacious, daylight-flooded studio, you think you are in another ethnicity, in another world. Myriads of sculptural beings populate the room as if from outer space, reminding you of a graffito from the early eighties on a Paris building wall: “Figures are just a virus from outer space.” After the first impression, a feeling rapidly sets in of familiarity and alienation, of the known and unknown. Are they over-dimensional toy figures from fairy tales or comic series? Post-modern creations from biological and genetic engineering labs? Biomorphic figures from science-fiction fantasies or real aliens from outer space? All these guesses seem possible, especially if you take the titles into account, which allow a narrative access to them and demonstrate the artist’s subtle sense of humour.

You are quickly caught up as well in aspects of contemporary art: whether pop art, so-called kitsch art or post-modern blow-ups; whether the painfully realistic but highly artificial objects of a Jeff Koons, the organic form vocabulary of a George Sugarman, even faraway echoes of art brut, or the organically formed bodies of a Henry Moore –seemingly prosaic, trivial moments combine with dense figuration, which cannot be reduced to western or European references.

1 Avatar high-gloss lacquered bronze (unique) 150 x 90 x 55 cm (59 x 35 x 22 in)

2 The moment of inner reflexion high-gloss lacquered bronze (unique) 190 x 75 x 55 cm (75 x 30 x 22 in)

3 Figure in dark green high-gloss lacquered bronze (unique) 190 x 55 x 45 cm (75 x 22 x 18 in)

4 Elegant figure high-gloss lacquered bronze (unique) 65 x 35 x 30 cm (26 x 14 x 12 in)

5 Honest composition high-gloss lacquered bronze (unique) 70 x 40 x 30 cm (28 x 16 x 12 in)

6 3024 Future figure high-gloss lacquered bronze (unique) 75 x 45 x 35 cm (30 x 18 x 14 in)

7 Indefinable situation high-gloss lacquered bronze (unique) 30 x 20 x 10 cm (12 x 8 x 4 in)

8 Dancing woman high-gloss lacquered bronze (unique) 30 x 40 x 20 cm (12 x 16 x 8 in)

9 Concrete poetry high-gloss lacquered bronze (unique) 30 x 20 x 10 cm (12 x 8 x 4 in)

10 Writhing figure high-gloss lacquered bronze (unique) 70 x 40 x 30 cm (28 x 16 x 12 in)

11 Black beauty high-gloss lacquered bronze (unique) 40 x 30 x 20 cm (16 x 12 x 8 in)

12 Body in motion high-gloss lacquered bronze (unique) 70 x 40 x 30 cm (28 x 16 x 12 in)

13 Figure in green high-gloss lacquered bronze (unique) 75 x 45 x 35 cm (30 x 18 x 14 in)

14 Landed high-gloss lacquered bronze (unique) 40 x 70 x 30 cm (16 x 28 x 12 in)

15 Walking down the road high-gloss lacquered bronze (unique) 75 x 60 x 30 cm (30 x 24 x 12 in)

16 The collector high-gloss lacquered bronze & Christmas balls (unique) 75 x 75 x 70 cm (30 x 30 x 28 in)

17 Getting up for work high-gloss lacquered bronze (unique)

90 x 100 x 30 cm (35 x 39 x 12 in)

18 The clear statement high-gloss lacquered bronze (unique) x 3 100 x 50 x 45 cm each (39 x 20 x 18 in)

19 Bank I wood & soft toys (unique) 40 x 60 x 200 cm (16 x 24 x 79 in)

20 Bank II wood & soft toys (unique) 40 x 60 x 200 cm (16 x 24 x 79 in)

21 Face of a savant acrylic on canvas 150 x 120 cm (59 x 47 in)

22 Face in total inspiration acrylic on canvas 150 x 120 cm (59 x 47 in)

23 The moment of truth acrylic on canvas 150 x 120 cm (59 x 47 in)

24 The sensualist acrylic on canvas 150 x 120 cm (59 x 47 in)

25 The observer acrylic on canvas 150 x 120 cm (59 x 47 in)

26 Faces in the dark acrylic on canvas 150 x 120 cm (59 x 47 in)

27 Face of a poet acrylic on canvas 150 x 120 cm (59 x 47 in)

28 Face in total inspiration II acrylic on canvas 150 x 120 cm (59 x 47 in)

Mario Dalpra, born in 1960 in Feldkirch, Austria, lives and works in Vienna, Austria and Anjuna, India, as a painter, graphic artist, sculptor, musician, film and performance artist. Studied at the Vienna Academy of Art (with Prof. Arnulf Rainer).

Scholarships and sponsorship grants 1990: Scholarship for Australia, Sydney 1991: Scholarship for Australia, Melbourne and Italy, Fattoria il Poggio 1993: 2 months working stay in New Zealand, scholarship for Italy, Fattoria il Poggio 1995: 5 months working stay in Indonesia 1997+98: 5 months Brazil, Rio de Janeiro Artist in Residence, Exhibition with Richard Serra 1999: 5 months India, Goa Artist in Residence 2003: Working stay in India, Goa 2006-08: Amgen Scholarship Vienna 2008: Kapsch Award 2009: Teilnahme an der Malerkolonie Riviera, 2010: Osor Art in Residence, Krk (HR)

Selected Solo exhibitions Sherman Galleries, Sydney, Australia; Galerie Hametner, Stoob, Burgenland, Austria; Galerie Tangente, Liechtenstein; Bunkamura Gallery, Tokyo, Japan; Dialog Galleries, Seattle, USA; Paul Greenaway Galleries, Adelaide, Australia; Künstlerhaus Thurn & Taxis, Bregenz, Austria; Pimmingstorfer Galerie, Austria; Galerie Glacis, Graz, Austria; Galerie 3, Klagenfurt, Austria; Burch und Klemm Galerie, Berlin, Germany; Freedman Lesch Fine Arts, New York, USA; Galerie Chelsea, Laufen, Basle, CH; Centro de Arte Helio Otticica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Triennale of Contemporary Art, Hong Kong, Asia; Trierenberg Arts, Traun, Austria; Galerie im Turm, Berlin, Germany; Roche Austria, Vienna, Austria; Christopher Leonard Galleries, New York, USA; International Festival of Arts, Cahours, France; Dick Ebert Galleries, San Francisco,USA; Kapsch, Vienna, Austria; Galerie Vogelhofer, Schwertberg, Austria;Galerie Wolfrum, Vienna, Austria; Galerie Contemporary Arts, Austria; Art Lounge Nr. 1, Austria; Kunstmesse Shanghai, China; Gallery mel contemporary , Vienna; Galerie Wolfrum, Vienna; Art Gallery 9900, Lienz; Art Fair, China; Schloß Wolkersdorf, Austria;Galerie Hametner, Stoob, Burgenland, Austria; Galerie Wild, Frankfurt and Zurich, Germany and Switzerland; Halle-Linz, Galerie Waltraud Scheutz, Linz, Austria; Paul Greenaway Art Gallery, Adelaide, Australia; Galerie Vorspann, Eisenkappel/Kärnten; Kunstverein Mistelbach, NÖ; Art Zürich, Schweiz; Galerie Hametner, Stoob, Austria; Galerie Arthouse, Bregenz, Austria; Galerie Sikoronja, Rosegg, Austria; Museum der Moderne, Salzburg, Austria; Galerie Gans, Wien, Austria; Galerie Hametner, Stoob, Burgenland, Austria; ARS Kunstraum, Wien, Austria

Mario Dalpra, born in 1960 in Feldkirch, Austria, lives and works in Vienna, Austria and Anjuna, India, as a painter, graphic artist,

Scholarships and sponsorship grants

1995: 5 months working stay in Indonesia

2003: Working stay in India, Goa2006-08: Amgen Scholarship Vienna2008: Kapsch Award

The official poster of the Vienna Opera Ball 2014 is emblazoned with a sculptural object of Mario Dalpra.

Selected Group exhibitions Kunstverein Schloss Bodenburg, Germany; Schlosseisenstrasse, Waidhofen an der Ybbs, Austria; Lentos Museum, Linz, Austria; Realities Galleries, Melbourne, Australia; Manning Galleries, Adelaide, Australia; Künstlerhaus Thurn & Taxis, Bregenz, Austria; The Blue, Tokyo, Japan; Galerie im Schloss Wolkersdorf, Wolkersdorf, Austria; Kunstverein Mistelbach, Mistelbach, Austria; Galerie Wolfrum, Vienna, Austria; Kapsch Award, Austria; Kaoru Yamasaki Foundation, Tokio, Japan; Paul Greenayway Art Gallery, Adelaide, Australia; Osor Art in residence, Krk, Croatia; Art Zurich presented by Art Gallery Wild; outdoor exhibition, Galerie Wild, Zurich, Switzerland; LISABIRD Villa Bulfon, Velden, Austria;

Selected Films and Videos Hommage the 5 minutes, Video, The one eye and one fingerstory, Video, The Anjuna Balance, Film in cooperation with Klaus Spiess, Lifebuoy, Videoinstallation in cooperation with Ulrich Plieschnig and Harald Weisz; Dalpra Lounge 2008, Film by Matthias Hauer, India, 60min.; You Tube: Philips Cinema – Parallel Lines – Love, Film by Matthias Hauer, Vienna, 3min; City of Dalpra, Film by Matthias Hauer, Vienna, 54min

Selected Publications Schwarz auf Weiss [Black on white], drawings, Brambilla Edition, Italy; Inner Movement, work block Australia, Sherman Edition, Sydney, Australia; Une longue histoire, work cycle, travel report from Australia, Sherman Galleries publication, Sydney, Australia; Hundreds of seconds of moments, illustrated book, Donald Edition, Sydney, Australia; Multiple, Do it yourself, Marcher Edition, Vienna, Austria; Multiple, Hommage de 5 minutes, video still, Vienna, Austria; Multiple, Dem Hund auf den Schwan gekommen. Short philosophical treatise on art, Vienna, Austria; Dem leichten Schlaf ein Eselsohr, Triton Verlag, Vienna, Austria; Dalpra-Plieschnig Performance, illustrated book, Triton Verlag; Multiple, The one eye and one finger story, video, Anjuna, India; book on sculpture, video film, Fattoria il Poggio, Italy; Layers of meaning, colour catalogue, Vienna, Austria; India Matrix, illustrated book of performance, Wolf Edition, Anjuna, India; Multiplication; the multiple object in art, 24 pages, Zara Stanhope Edition, Sydney, Australia; Bocca della Verità, Kunstverein Bad Salzdetfurth, Germany; Gemälde – die Sammlung [Collection of paintings], Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz; Austria; Sculptures 1995 – 2005 Neugebauer Verlag, Graz, Drawings and Paintings 2005 Neugebauer Verlag, Graz; Energetic Dynanism 2006; Sculpture Handbook 2010, Vienna; Changing Views Art Book Kapsch, Datum, 2010, Vienna; Transformasi, Bucher Verlag, 2011, Vienna; This is not the end, Bucher Verlag, 2012, Vienna

© Albemarle Gallery 2015

ALBEMARLE