Janz Franz

Press release

23.05.2024

Janz Franz, „Virgo“ from the series „Zodiac Signs“, 2000, Acrylic on canvas, 90 x 90 cm, Collection Kainberger

Image Credits

Duration

24.05. - 27.10.2024

Opening

23.05.2024 7pm

Press event

23.05.2024 11am - 12pm

Place of the press event

Neue Galerie Graz

Curators

Roman Grabner

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‘Painter, draughtsman, actionist, necromancer, arsehole’ was written on Janz Franz’ visiting card, which he handed around in the mid-1990s to introduce himself and make others remember him. Born in Graz, Janz Franz was socialised in the Styrian capital in the 1960s when a local rock scene was establishing itself, steirischer herbst was founded and the Forum Stadtpark experienced its legendary era. Although he only devoted himself to art later on, this period of the Graz (sub-)culture impacted him greatly. The music of his youth, the songs of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple, were the soundtrack of his art and found their way into his pictures in numerous allusions and quotations. Early inspiration came from an encounter with Hermann Nitsch at the ‘International Summer Academy for Fine Arts’ in Salzburg in 1981. Janz Franz absorbs his actionist energy and the spontaneous, expressive gesture in his painting. Important blocks of works are created with the resulting pictures of demons and whores, which are ultimately presented at the Kulturhaus Graz, too, by Otto Breicha in 1997. The exhibition in the Neue Galerie Graz represents the first review by an institution of the work of the Styrian-in-exile, who died in 2017 following years of poor health.

Further information

The first floor south of the Neue Galerie Graz will be closed on October 22 and 23. The exhibitions “Janz Franz. Schau weg, Teppata!” and ‘Unverkennbar Waldorf!’ will not be accessible on these days.

Exhibition views

Roman Grabner, , Leiter des des BRUSEUMs und Kurator der Ausstellung "Janz Franz. Schau weg, Teppata!"