Edition Detail

Peter Sandbichler makes objects and installations − expanded sculptures with references to painting, photography, architecture, or media art that also address social and political issue. By combining sculptures with the themes of war and violence, he shows that the beauty of abstract geometrical forms is in no way a purely aesthetic game free of content. On the contrary, it can refer to violence and aggression as real forms of interaction  between people and societies. Sandbichler’s work Untitled (2004) can be seen in this context of a connection between sculptural aesthetics and concrete social and political positions. It consists of a baseball bat painted in ink. The baseball bat has become a symbol the national identity of the USA, and it carries different and contrary meanings. On the one hand it stand for a national sport and the expression of play and community, while it is also used contrary to its intended purpose as a weapon in social violence. As a work of art, the baseball bat is both an ornamental object and a symbol of the contradictions and conflicts within societies. 

Peter Sandbichler was born in 1964 in Kufstein and lives and works in Vienna. His works were already shown at the Venice Biennale already in 1995, and in recent years he has presented numerous exhibitions in renowned Austrian galleries and exhibition venues.