Artist Spotlight - Michael Kopplstätter
Biography
Michael Kopplstätter is a German, Austrian self-taught artist who lives and works in Dornbirn and Schwarzenberg, Austria.
His artistic career began early in New York, where he became close friends with the artist Salome, co-founder of the Neue Wilde.
Michael Kopplstätter was infected by the spontaneous and expressive elements of the Neue Wilde at a young age.
X DANCE, 2024. ACRYL AND OIL ON CANVAS, 140 X 100 CM.
Kopplstätter was born in Hohenems, Austria, and studied architecture in Innsbruck before switching to fashion studies.
He made a career in the fashion and design industry and worked as a designer, art director and creative director before returning to painting.
The artworks, mostly painted in oil, are mainly large scale canvas.
Today, the artist has created his own signature style by working through partial blurring between static and blurred planes that leave a vague sense of what lies beneath the surface.
TRUTH OR DARE, 2024. ACRYL & OIL ON CANVAS, 100 X 100 CM.
Perception and distortion merge together. A distorted reality emerges between frozen space and time, what was and what will be.
On the surface, the works appear to be an intoxicating vision of exhibitionism and existentialism, to the point of voyeuristic traits, but intimacy and the unknown are exposed in an independent, artificial way.
His unmistakable color palette strikes a chord of desire, control and loss control.
ALTER EGO, 2024. ACRYL & OIL ON CANVAS, 120 X 100 CM.
The protagonist hovers between abstraction and distorted reality, remaining blurred, shadowy and distorted in a frozen time and space.
The thematic focus of his works is the human figure, although the work remains enigmatic and creates a palpable tension between abstract forms, realism and a distorted reality.
Each brushstroke confirms his passion to the artistic craft. His paintings engage a diverse audience in a dialog that goes beyond the visual.
DANCE BAR, 2024. OIL ON CANVAS, 100 X 100 CM.
In addition to solo and group exhibitions in Europe and gallery presentations, his works have been shown in a museum exhibition.
His paintings have been shown for exhibitions during the Venice Biennale, Art Basel Miami and Art Basel Paris.
His art is represented in various collections. Publications have appeared in various international specialist magazines and books.
THE BELIEVERS, 2024. ACRYL & OIL ON CANVAS, 100 X 100 CM.
Artist Statement
Michael Kopplstätter works in series, in which he develops a signature style of figurative expressionism. His technic is based on wet on wet painting and blurring the work before it dries. In each series he experiments in a certain philosophy of the blurring idea.
The series Blurred ecstasies in 2024 is the evolution of the revolution of the blurred Series before.
Soft snaking bodies, fluid figures like dancers with a nihilistic feel keep their fingers on the pulse. The artworks sweeping between primal and dynamic layers.
STOP BREAKING DOWN, 2024. OIL ON CANVAS, 140 X 100 CM.
Brushes dancing between careful work and sometimes not so carefully - rawer, painterly materials are used then before, rugged brushes are transformed in hazy, dream like canvases with and otherworldly appliance, akin to spirit paintings, or foggy imaginations of what lies beneath it.
It appears like the bubbles in the glass, the headrush and the headache in the next morning. A bit rockin, a bit sassy and edgy, a bit purist.
The Blurred Interlaced System series is a distinctive style in which the protagonist alternates in strokes between static, thick, expressive brushstrokes and blurred, flowing sweeps that are smudged before the paint dries.
IHR RUNDER TANZ SICH ZUCKEND AUSBREITEND, 2024. OIL ON CANVAS, 140 X 100 CM.
As the protagonist, the human figure takes center stage, awakening memories and
leaving the viewer with the vague feeling of recognizing something hidden beneath the surface of the painting.
The works follow Imprematura technique and the technique of old masters.
The colors are high-quality pigment oils in burnt sienna and umber tones.
J'ADORE, 2024. OIL ON LINEN, 100 X 100 CM.
The first layers are painted realistically and the expressive blurring creates a tension between abstraction and distorted reality.
Perception and distortion of frozen time and space arise and leave the impression of the shadowy, blurred and distorted.
In contrast to the protagonist, the background is divided into clear, monochrome fields of perspective.A clear point of view, an exact vanishing point is abandoned.
THE LITTLE BLACK DRESS, 2024. OIL ON LINEN, 100 X 100 CM.
Multiple definitions of space emerge, which stand side by side and work against each other. This is reinforced by the fact that part of the background surface is the raw linen canvas. Thus the series is working on three different layers.
The relationship between figure and background becomes fragile. While the backdrop appears static and neutral, the figures are often depicted as dynamic and full of energy.
The series Blurred Pop Arty combines the artist's unique style of expressive blurring with a layer reminiscent of Pop Art.
HOTEL PARTICULIER, 2024. LINEN ON CANVAS, 100X100 CM.
The figures themselves are applied with a richer palette,
smeared with coarse brushstrokes, the colors painted onto the canvas with brushes or rags and blurred. In this way, the colorful incarnations act in counterpoint to the empty, almost sterile backgrounds and thus become isolated.
The protagonist is out of focus, blurred and perception merges with distortion.
Several layers of color overlap, distorting the figure's features and blurring its contours. The relationship between figure and background becomes fragile.
FALLEN ANGEL, 2024. OIL ON LINEN, 100 X 100 CM.
While the background appears static and in a monochrome pop color,
the figures are often depicted dynamically and full of energy.
The images take on an intense visual appeal, as the bright colors of the background completely isolate the protagonist and take them to another level.
ALLES WAS IHR BLICK BESCHREIBT, 2024. OIL ON CANVAS, 80 X 60 CM.
WALK TO HEAVEN, 2023. OIL ON CANVAS, 100 X 100 CM.
WHERE IS ZIGGY STARDUST, 2023. OIL ON CANVAS, 100 X 100 CM.
YOU WILL BE QUEEN, 2023. ACRYL ON CANVAS, 100 X 100 CM.
