Artistic CV of Gigi . Sigrid Ofner
(www.sigridofner.at)
With my paintings, which I usually do in acrylic, I want to give insights into the bustle of animal and human creatures and thus expose them to the individual interpretations of the viewer. But it is not only about the creatures in the paintings, but also about those who look at them. For what we see in a piece of art brings us in contact with ourselves, because it depends on what experiences we have made and how it shaped us.
Past
On the 29th of January 1964, as the second of three children, I was born into a family in which we were best cared for and loved, but also were allowed a lot of freedom and time to engage in things that made us happy. In addition to playing in nature I was fascinated by animals, drawing and painting. As a five-year-old I painted for my brother, who was three years older and did not want to do any drawing for religious education. I went to work with crayons, felt pens, and great enthusiasm.
After school my choice fell on the study of biology. One of my favorite subject was - how could it have been different - scientific drawing. I loved to put bones or stuffed animals with pencil or ink on paper.
Although I also allowed my son a lot of room to grow up, as a single parent, working mother, I did not have much time for creativity. Luckily in 2004 I came into contact with acrylic paints and thenceforth I spent many evenings with color and shape experiments over the next few years. But more and more I was drawn to figurative art and so I took lessons from different teachers to acquire basic techniques. Fortunately, I have always encountered artists who have been able to teach me a lot but have not only left me my way of expressing myself, but have also encouraged me to do so.
Presence
In 2016 I gave in to the good persuasions of friends and applied for admission to the Mödlinger Künstlerbund (www.mkb.at), a respected association of visual artists of my hometown, which exists since 1923. Actually I was accepted as a member, what made me really happy and changed a lot: In autumn of the same year I had my first solo exhibition and a few weeks later I was invited by the city to present nine paintings of my series "alte Märchen/alte Mädchen" ("old fairy tales/old girls") at an event against violence against women. Since then I had many chances to participate in group exhibitions, mainly in Austria. 2017 one of my paintings was chosen for placement in public space in Mödling. In spring 2018 I was accepted as a member of the Professional Association of Fine Artists of Austria (Berufsvereinigung der bildenden Künstler Österreichs, www.art-bv.at).
Future
For the future I intend to remain authentic, to continue to learn, and to go a little further beyond the borders of Austria in order to be able to show my paintings to a wider public.
The artists from whom I have learned (in alphabetical order)
Haider Al-Zubaidi, Edith und Erich Glier, Aleksander Kostic, Manuela Papez-Malkovsky, Karlheinz Pilcz, Günther Reil, Josef Schweikhardt and Wolf Werdegier.
Exhibitions (in chronological order)
2018
"Jahresausstellung des Mödlinger Künstlerbunds 2018", group exhibition, Mödling, Austria
"Couplet", Munich, group exhibition, Germany
"Mensch : Recht : Wasser", group exhibition, Vienna, Austria
"Impulse", group exhibition, Kirchberg am Wagram, Austria
"Fahnen on tour", touring group exhibition, Austria & Croatia
"Kunst zu Recht", group exhibition, Vienna, Austria
2017
"Jahresausstellung des Mödlinger Künstlerbunds 2017", group exhibition, Mödling, Austria
"Platz für alle", group exhibition, Mödling, Austria
"Kunst am Bach", unveiling of the painting "ecce animalia: Eidechse" by Gigi . Sigrid Ofner at the Promenade, Mödling, Austria
"Einheit der Vielfalt", group exhibition, Laa an der Thaya, Austria
2016
"Gegen Gewalt an Frauen", single exhibition, Mödling, Austria
"Jahresausstellung des Mödlinger Künstlerbunds 2016", group exhibition, Mödling, Austria
"Einsicht", single exhibition, Mödling, Austria
My submission for the Arte Laguna Prize 2018.19
The artworks that I submit, I have specially painted for the Arte Laguna Prize 2018.19. The paintings have therefore never been presented at an exhibition. They are not even shown on my website right now.
The paintings are titled “Und jetzt? E ora? And now?” 1, 2 an 3.
I developed the applied type of acrylic painting in 2014 and it is mainly seen in my “ecce animalia”-series of paintings ( http://sigridofner.at/werke/ecce-animalia/).
