current exhibition | Galerie Gugging

In our spring exhibition “sexy…”, seven unique artists come together at the galerie gugging and whisk us away into their erotic worlds. From the sexy works of the Gugging Artists Johann Garber, Johann Korec and Karl Vondal to the fascinating universe of Helga Sophia Goetze, the oriental women of Basel Al-Bazzaz, the naked men of Hannes Lehner and the extraordinary ceramics of Julia Hanzl. The depiction of naked bodies has a long tradition, from the earliest cave paintings to the present day. Many Gugging Artists and their national and international colleagues have also taken up the theme from the very beginning, which is why we want to ring in the new year with seven different sexy positions.

We begin with the colourful oeuvre of Basel Al-Bazzaz. The artist, who was originally born in Baghdad, has been working in a print workshop in Vienna since 2000, where he creates fine, detailed works on paper that have a special effect on the viewer. Using watercolours, pencils and coloured pencils to create works of art is Al-Bazzaz’s great passion. His playful, erotic depictions of women also reflect his longing for the Orient. While he often uses models for his depictions of plants and animals, the inspiration for his depictions of naked women comes from his own imagination, as he revealed to us.

Next up is the exceptional, versatile German artist Helga Sophia Goetze. Born in Magdeburg, the artist was a feminist icon, who loved to break boundaries and boldly share her views out into the world. Goetze left behind a fascinating universe of painted pictures, embroidered carpets, sketches, collages and an extensive written legacy, including numerous poems. She was known and infamous for her “vigil” at the Berlin Memorial Church, where she held out for an hour every day for over 20 years from 1983 to proclaim her message: “Fucking is peace!” The galerie gugging is delighted to show a tapestry and sketches by the artist and poet, who was an investigative, sharp observer and chronicler of her time, as part of the sexy… exhibition.

The Gugging Artist Johann Garber is the next in our sexy round. He is best known for his dense Indian ink drawings. A recurring theme in his work are his so-called “Sexi papers”. These have even adorned the renowned Museum of Sex on 5th Avenue in New York. “If you ask Johann Garber why he keeps drawing naked people, his answer is: because that is how we are born! – We come like this … and we leave like this”, says galerie gugging director Nina Katschnig with a smile. Garber was born in Wiener Neustadt and has lived in the House of Artists in Gugging since 1981.

The next artist is Julia Hanzl. An innovative ceramic artist from Vienna, who has already made a name for herself across borders, especially in the United States, and grew up in a family of artists. The self-taught artist, whose works usually have a provocative sexy-erotic touch, is appreciated for her unmistakable ceramics, mixed media sculptures, porcelain & bronze editions and ceramic sculptures in combination with taxidermy. Hanzl lives and works in Mödling.

For the Gugging Artist Johann Korec, the nude depiction of couples was the predominant favourite theme in his works, which he celebrated extensively. Korec lived in the House of Artists in Gugging from 1981 until his death in 2008. While he began his artistic career by tracing figures, drawing and painting lovers later became his preferred motif. The protagonist was almost always the artist himself. He usually added a description of the subjects at the bottom of the picture, making the works appear like a diary. His depicted partners did not come from his imagination, but were often actual girlfriends from the time. In 1990, he was awarded the Oskar Kokoschka Prize, as was Johann Garber with the group of the Gugging Artists.

Born in Vienna in 1986, Hannes Lehner loves muscular bodies, enjoys going to the gym and wanted to become an underwear model himself. The artist’s creative career includes central themes such as landscapes, architecture, automobiles, outer space, fantastic animal figures and now also male nudes. Over the years, he has created an extensive oeuvre that includes drawings, paintings and three-dimensional objects. The lively artist, who is always up for a joke, uses acrylic, coloured pencil, gouache or paperboard for his works. Lehner’s sexy, well-trained men, usually staged in bright colours, are the logical continuation of his popular houses and cars, already presented at our exhibition simplicity | complexity, and are now being shown for the first time at the galerie gugging.

Of course, the Gugging Artist Karl Vondal, whom galerie gugging director Nina Katschnig describes as the “master of eroticism from Gugging”, should not be missing from a sexy… exhibition. Vondal lived in the House of Artists in Gugging from 2002 to 2024 and had a particular fondness for erotic depictions, which he worked on tirelessly day and night. His nude women and loving couples usually appear with him in the role of the prince – in delicate pastel tones, which became more vibrant towards the end of his career. The protagonists of his works are often found on islands under palm trees or above the roofs of towns and villages. Similar to Johann Korec, his works are usually accompanied by illustrious stories. In sexy… you can see both small and large works, some of which have been elaborately and very vividly staged with matchsticks.

We look forward to welcoming you in the presence of the artists Basel Al-Bazzaz, Johann Garber, Julia Hanzl and Hannes Lehner at our sexy… opening on February 19, 2025, at 7 pm in Maria Gugging.