Day of issue of the commemorative stamp contemporary art in Austria Hans Kupelwieser - "Untitled", 2020

Hans Kupelwieser – "Untitled", 2020

The magic of chance

A luminary among Austria's contemporary multimedia artists, Hans Kupelwieser marks his 75th birthday this year. Austrian Post pays tribute to his artistry with a commemorative stamp.

Hans Kupelwieser was born in 1948 in Lunz am See, Lower Austria. In 2004, he designed the lake stage in his hometown. He pursued studies at the School for Graphic Education and Research in Vienna and the University of Applied Arts Vienna. Since 1995, he has held the position of professor at the Institute for Contemporary Art at Graz University of Technology. His art embraces a diverse array of techniques and materials, encompassing photograms, sculptures, and expansive installations that seamlessly interweave mediums. These works are intended to challenge the senses, particularly sight, of the viewer. Objects are transformed, folded, or crumpled, often influenced by chance occurrences. Many of Kupelwieser's creations grace public spaces, such as the "Hollow Head Wall" in St. Pölten's government quarter and the monument at the Jewish cemetery in Krems.

The commemorative stamp showcases a piece from 2020 (measuring 170 x 180 x 30 centimeters), part of a series of machine-formed reliefs and sculptures crafted since 2000. The relief is composed of welded aluminum plates, shaped using an excavator, sandblasted, and then anodized to a reddish hue through an electrolytic process. The matte surface gives is a textile-like, velvety texture.

When? 
8 August 2023, 10:00 a.m.

Where? 
Post am Rochus, Stamp Gallery, Rochusplatz 1, 1030 Vienna

Pictures:
© Österreichische Post AG
Georg Pölzl (CEO, Österreichische Post AG), Susanna Hiegesberger (Stamp archive curator, Österreichische Post AG), Hans Kupelwieser (artist)