WOLFGANG KOBER, BORN IN 1975 IN STYRIA (AUSTRIA), WORKS IN THE MEDIA SCULPTURE, PAINTING AND GRAPHICS.

TRAINING TO BE A SCULPTOR AT THE ART SCHOOL GRAZ. STUDY OF AGRICULTURE IN VIENNA.

2006 FIRST BRONZE WORKS. FROM 2007 EXHIBITION PARTICIPATION AND COMMISSIONED WORK. SINCE 2020 FREELANCE SCULPTOR.

MODELING IS THE FOCUS OF MY ARTISTIC ACTIVITIES. BUILD, CHANGE, DESIGN, CONCRETE THE FORM FROM THE INSIDE OUT.

FINALLY, THE MODELED WORK IS NOT ONLY A PRELIMINARY STATE FOR THE BRONZE CASTING, BUT ALSO AN INDEPENDENT WORK.

The bull as the archetype of power and strength. Imposing grace, sublime beauty, cult object since living memory. Where does my fascination with this animal come from? Maybe because my ancestors raised cattle for over 400 years? Bulls have occupied me since my earliest childhood. I remember, when I was five or six years old, carrying blue clay that I dug up at the edge of the field to the barn to model my grandfather’s bulls. Afterwards I wanted to burn the dried figures in the kitchen oven, which of course failed. When I was no longer allowed to stay in the barn all day, I began drawing and modeling the animals from memory. That has stayed with me to this day. Working from memory forces you to take a closer look and you are not distracted by externals. At the art school, it was difficult for me to identify with the artistic content taught there. I looked for a way out and found it in my inner urge to become a cattle farmer. Studying agriculture enabled me to deal intensively with the subject of bulls. When I started sculpting again after years without artistic activity, I noticed the difficulty of this undertaking. I drew, modeled, carved, mostly bulls again. Ultimately, however, everything remained just attempts to connect to the carefree approach of my childhood. I failed to depict the inner being of the bull without lapsing into anatomical accuracy and external reality. Not being able to achieve that made me discouraged and ready to give up. Suddenly everything changed. In autumn 2020 I visited an exhibition at the Albertina in Vienna. I strolled through the rooms and then – it was in the last or penultimate room – I encountered sculptures by Alberto Giacometti. The force of the moment was so great that I had to sit down. At once I understood the meaning of my work. After all the failed attempts, I was able to get back to work. This is how numerous sculptures have been created, where I was striving to get to the inner reality. I haven’t quite got there yet, but I’m closer than I’ve ever been.