The artwork features bold, expressive brushstrokes that create a striking, emotive depiction of a figure in repose. The dominant colors are various shades of pink and peach, conveying a sense of vulnerability and intimacy. The overall composition is asymmetrical, with the figure occupying a significant portion of the canvas. The style and technique suggest an Expressionist or Fauvist influence, with the artist's strong, gestural handling of paint and the distorted, abstracted form of the subject. The artwork seems to explore themes of the human body, rest, and the artist's personal interpretation of the subject matter. ...
Focusing on intimacy, desire, and human connection, Melissa Steckbauer’s practice unfolds through meticulously crafted works on paper. She approaches paper as both a delicate and lasting vessel for imagery, layering, cutting, and collaging photographic elements sourced from family albums, staged portraits, and personal archives. Through these carefully constructed compositions, Steckbauer transforms fleeting moments of vulnerability and interpersonal exchange into richly textured visual stories. Steckbauer likens her process to writing love letters—each piece becoming a visual gesture of care, desire, and shared experience. Through repetition, delicate surfaces, and symbolic forms, she creates works that navigate the complex terrain of relationships, communication, and the ecstasy of everyday encounters. Her practice also engages critically with how bodies and desire are represented, questioning systems of categorization, sexualization, and objectification. By reframing these narratives, she challenges social power structures and opens space for resistance and emancipation. While her imagery may provoke moments of discomfort, it also sparks curiosity, inviting viewers to reflect on their own emotional and cultural perceptions. In blending tenderness with critique, Steckbauer’s work occupies a space where personal experience and broader social questions meet, expanding the possibilities for empathy and connection through art. ...
Galerie Kandlhofer is a young Austrian gallery, founded in 2016 situated in the centre of Vienna. With a focus on supporting emerging talents, the gallery represents Austrian and international artists, with a multifaceted program ranging from painting, sculpture, drawing, photography and installations to a series dedicated to contemporary video works and performances.
Represented Gallery artists are: Hermann Nitsch, Richie Culver, Acaye Kerunen, Sofia Borges, Faye Wei Wei, Frauke Dannert, Karl Karner, Alina Kunitsyna, James English Leary, Xie Lei, Nana Mandl, Hannah Perry, Maximilian Prüfer, Markus Redl, Rodrigo Valenzuela, Marc Henry, Alicia Viebrock. ...
