Diagonale '25: Simona Obholzer

Simona Obholzer's works challenge the audience to perceive themselves as viewers and to question the conditioning of their own gaze. The artist examines the relationship between image, body, space and gaze. The human body is both the starting point and the goal of the observation. Constructed nature is a central motif of her installations, in which Obholzer playfully and reflexively questions familiar ways of seeing. Through reduction and abstraction, she reveals invisible structures of perception and raises questions about the recognisability and contextual experience of images. From gently swaying works on paper in space to video projections of moving lawns, movement as an abstract principle runs through her works, which she realises in various media, formats and techniques.

For the Kunsthaus Graz, Simona Obholzer is planning an immersive spatial installation in which she explores the theme of the ground as a fundamental subsurface and thus ties in with her film DIN 18035, which won an award at the Diagonale. The installation contains an interface to virtual space that opens up new perspectives on the physical dimensions of the floor. A sonic level intensifies the sensory experience and appeals to the body perception of the visitors, who can experience the installation standing, sitting or lying down.