He raises his figures on a pedestal. The everyday life moment becomes something sublime. The human being is in the spotlight and communicates with his observer. Matthias Kostner, a young artist from Val Gardena, creates wooden figures inspired by situations of the daily life. He lets his figures sit, lie down, jump, float, read, play ... he creates wooden snapshots with lifelike facial expressions and gestures.

Matthias Kostner creates figures from everyday life, metaphors without existential pathos. His works have a great expressive power and they radiate the continuous and unalterable flow of life. The figures express dignity, pride, expressiveness and are characterised by something enduring, carried on from the invisible lines of history and culture of Val Gardena. What matters are not gags, art quotes, statements or provocations, but good craftsmanship, proportions and the understandable expression of the intensity of moments. Sculpture embodies the world’s energy and the permanent change of existing things. […]

He argues that such materials as bronze, stone, clay or gypsum are amorphous and anonymous, while wood is far from being static and can convey the feeling of Pantha Rhei, the cycle of coming and passing. Wood requires an understanding of what it is. It has traces in its fibers, its colour, its density; it tells us something about the way it went in the past. Kostner wants to preserve these properties and at the same time mark it with his personal touch. He brings new life into a living material.
Matthias Kostner has found his style: he doesn’t want to be a loud, protesting young artist who must search frantically for content – life and the human being themselves are enough to give birth to art. Communication in wood.

 

By Ilse Thuile

 

 

1982             Born in Bolzano on December 23

1996-2000   Vocational school in Ortisei

2003             Concludes his apprenticeship

2008             Diploma at the institute Cademia in Ortisei

2009             Member of the Unika group

 

Group exhibitions

2016   Galerie Ravagnan Venice (I)

            Galeria Accademia Torino (I)

            La Galerie de la Chapelle  La Brigue (F)

2015   Unika, Ortisei (I)

            La Galerie de la Chapelle  La Brigue (F)

            Galeria Ravagnan Venice (I)

            Sanyi Wood Museum Taiwa

            Artis museum Sabbioneta  (I)

            Galeria Accademia Torino (I)

2014   Unika, Ortisei (I)

            IHM Munich(D)

            La Galerie de la Chapelle  La Brigue (F)

2013   Unika, Ortisei (I)

            Gallery Lilie in Vipiteno(I)

            Passau (D)

            Armentarola (I)

2012   Unika, Ortisei (I)

            Armentarola (I)

2011   Unika, Ortisei (I)

            Armentarola (I)

            H&H Munich(D)

            Unika “Tubla da Nives”(I)

            Castle Anrass (A)

            Trento Film Festival (I)

2010   Unika, Ortisei (I)

            Armentarola (I)

            Castle Anrass (A)

            Artigianato in fiera Milan (I)

2009   Unika, Ortisei (I)

            Armentarola (I)

            Castle  Anrass (A)

 

 

Personal exhibitions

2015   Spazio Rizzi Latsch (I)