Josef Danner
Born in Amstetten, Lower Austria in 1955. In 1974, he began studying German philology, history & philosophy at the University of Vienna.
In the 1980s, he was the drummer for the band Molto Brutto, producing 2 LPs, tapes and CDs, Edition Singles Club, and 10 picture discs. He has made occasional appearances with Ganslinger, Duallein and shineform.
Study grants (excerpts): Studio scholarship for the Cité des Arts in Paris (1995), Scholarship Straumur Art Commune, Iceland (1998), International Painting Symposium Luxor, Egypt (2010).
Member of the Vienna House of Artists, Culture Prize of the City of Amstetten, & Promotion Prize of the Province of Lower Austria. In 2020, our long-time friend Josef Danner passed away after a long battle with cancer in Vienna, Austria.
Artist Statement
Josef Danner studied German, history and philosophy in Vienna. In the 1980s, he was a member of the 'Junge Wilde', and was the drummer of the Molto Brutto artist band. Works by the artist are part of international public and private collections.
Part of numerous international exhibitions, including Galerie Peter Pakesch, Vienna, Galerie Eugen Lendl, Graz, Galerie Brunnhofer, Linz, Lower Austria Museum, St. Pölten, mumok, Vienna, Künstlerhaus, Vienna, VIENNAFAIR, International Print Triennial, Kraków-Istanbul, Landesgalerie Burgenland, Eisenstadt, etc.
"Surfing the void," "Secret affairs," "Virtual deputy," and "Secrets of hierarchy" are some of the titles of Josef Danner's latest image series from 2019. As in earlier works, pictorial and textual elements from different sources have been liberated from their original contexts, processed and transformed. They thus enter into completely new relationships with each other, creating an adventure of ambiguity for the viewer to decipher.
From a technical point of view, the works constitute a very deliberate combination of painting and silkscreen and - in the case of the 2019 series - also digitally printed elements.