The biomorphic sculptures of Karl Karner in his new exhibition "fichtengrau" at Galerie Kandlhofer greet visitors in a larger-than-life and almost intimidating manner. Resembling fantastical-futuristic life forms (or landscapes?), these works, made of aluminum and bronze cast, exhibit finely branching structures and an organic surface, leaving behind a highly fragile impression.

The reference to nature, particularly botany, is obvious, as the artist clearly names each work in relation to it. The resilient spruce serves as the namesake for Karner's nearly three-meter-high sculptures, titled "Fichtengrau" or "fichtengrün." While evoking a clear image, the exhibited works only partially reflect this image in an altered form. Despite vaguely resembling dead trees in their vertical arrangement and barren appearance, the unconventional, almost bizarre forms of the sculptures immediately disrupt this clear image. They are based on concrete references from the animal and plant kingdom, such as mushrooms, branches, tree bark, or vineyard snails, which the artist combines into grotesque sculptural growths through casts. Additionally, fragmentary references to human intervention are hinted at when the individual elements are assembled into artistic assemblages. The idea of choreography becomes apparent when observing the sculptures.

Excerpt of a text by Sergey Harutoonian