Andreas Werner
I Saw Something Glittering on His Breast II (2023)
Photo: Tamara Rametsteiner, courtesy of Galerie Krinzinger and the artist
Science fiction often sees through complex and dark political eras, and Andreas Werner’s figures look like they could be part of such challenging and critical narratives. Embracing anachronisms and cultural contradictions, his large-scale drawings of warrior-like figures merge classical ornaments and futuristic architecture with atmospheres inspired by sci-fi imagery.
I Saw Something Glittering on His Breast II is part of a series wherein Werner creates composite figures between humans and machines. He thus sheds light upon an extensive imaginary that also echoes the 20th-century avant-gardes, and especially the Futurists. Thinking of man-machine relations today demands a reflection on the dark dreams of the neo-reactionary movement. What do they mean in relation to transhumanism and the myths, symbols, and fantasies through which such political projects are channeled?
Andreas Werner (1984, Merseburg an der Saale, Germany) is an artist whose drawings are inspired by classical and fictional styles and occupy a middle ground between representations of individuals and architecture. His works have been shown, among others, in group exhibitions at the Lithuanian National Museum of Art, Vilnius (2021); Bruseum / Neue Galerie Graz (2018); MAK, Vienna (2017); and Belvedere 21, Vienna (2016). He has recently had solo shows at Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna (2023); Viltin Gallery, Budapest (2023); and Strabag Kunstforum, Vienna (2022). Werner lives in Vienna.
Pencil, gold powder, pigment, and graphite on paper, 175 × 98 cm
Courtesy Galerie Krinzinger and the artist