27 August 2024  Hannah Philomena Scheiber's exhibition 'Ultra Mare' opens on 6 September and will be on show at the Bank Austria Kunstforum in Vienna until 9 September. The artist studied conceptual art in the classes of Johanna Kandl and Matteo Thun at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and continued her studies at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, before moving to New York in 2016, where she was taught Design for Social Innovation by Stefan Sagmeister and Jerry Saltz at the School of Visual Arts (SVA). In addition to conceptual works and ceramics featuring reformulated classical texts on decorative wall plates, her mountain paintings are particularly in demand by art collectors. In the upcoming exhibition, visitors are invited to explore the fragile and ephemeral nature of the environment by immersing themselves in an Alpine landscape rendered in the evocative color blue. The title 'Ultra Mare,' which translates as 'beyond the sea' or 'ultramarine,' refers to both the distant origin of the pigment and the vastness of the landscapes it depicts. The color blue, especially ultramarine, is central to her work, as Scheiber mentions in a video on YouTube in which she explains that the color symbolizes femininity. As an example, she cites the historical use of ultramarine in the mantle of the Virgin Mary during the Renaissance. Ultramarine had to be mixed in a certain amount to honor Mary. The exhibition highlights the irreversible human impact on the alpine landscape, a recurring theme in Scheiber's work. The deep blues and vibrant yellows she uses reflect the dramatic beauty and underlying vulnerability of the Ötztal Alps. The introduction on https://www.kunstforumwien.at/de/ausstellungen/500024/Ultra-Mare- notes that the color yellow has played an important role in Scheiber's work since this year. In the new cycle of works on view for the first time in the tresor of the Bank Austria Kunstforum, it symbolizes true love. Oscillating between abstraction and realism, Scheiber's paintings capture the cyclical and transient nature of the mountains, emphasizing both their majesty and the looming threat of their degradation by human activity. 'Fuoco nel fuoco', meaning 'fire within fire', can be interpreted in conjunction with 'Ultra Mare' as a metaphor for the intense and consuming relationship between humanity and nature. 'Fuoco nel fuoco' suggests an inner conflict or passion, reflecting the artist's deep emotional involvement with the landscapes she depicts and the existential threats they face. In Scheiber's work, blue is more than a color; it is a representation of the divine, the feminine, and the fragile beauty of nature, making her art a poignant commentary on environmental and spiritual interconnectedness. Image: Hannah Philomena Scheiber. Photo: © Anja Ruetz. |
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