Hans Kupelwieser (born 8 April 1948 in Lunz am See, Lower Austria) is an Austrian sculptor, graphic artist, photographer and media artist.
Life and Education Kupelwieser attended the Bundesgymnasium und Bundesrealgymnasium Keimgasse in Mödling, where he graduated in 1968. He has lived and worked in both Graz and Vienna.Kulturserver Graz short biography of Hans Kupelwieser Since 1995 he has held a professorship at the Institute for Contemporary Art at Graz University of Technology, teaching in the field of Plastic (Sculptural) Design.ORF: Criticism of the demolition of the Biological Station Lunz, 1 August 2010, retrieved 15 June 2025.
From 1970 to 1973, Kupelwieser studied at the Graphische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt in Vienna; from 1976 to 1982 he studied at the University of Applied Arts Vienna under the mentorship of Bazon Brock, Peter Weibel, and Herbert Tasquil.Universalmuseum Joanneum – biography His sculptural concept developed in those years and later expanded to include multimedia approaches, combining materials, media and shifting functions.Generali Foundation – artist profile
In the early 1990s, he began working with "pneumatic sculptures" called Gonflables, which inflate using air pressure while retaining a framework of aluminum.Museum Joanneum – Sculpture Park He also works with photograms, objects integrated into photographic media, furniture-sculptures, installation, and kinetic and media-based forms.
Exhibitions and projects Some significant exhibitions and projects include:
2004: *Postmediale Skulpturen*, Neue Galerie GrazNeue Galerie Graz, Untitled (2001), cut photogram, 120 × 90 cm 2013: *Bye-bye, Anopheles* installation at Brioni (Brijuni, Croatia)Kunstmeile Krems catalogue, 2013 2020: Solo exhibition at W&K (Wienerroither & Kohlbacher), Vienna, showcasing his multimedia approach and works across sculpture, photography, and media. 2022: Commissioned ceiling relief ("Untitled", 2022) for the Tea Room in the Heidi Horten Collection, Vienna. 2022 (Jul–Oct): A two-part exhibition at Kunsthalle Krems and Dominikanerkirche Krems, featuring large-format photograms, experimental sculptures, and augmented reality elements.Kunstmeile Krems 2022 In Hellbrunn (Salzburg), he was invited to present sculptures in the Sculpture Park (2021), blending nature, space, and material boundaries.Hellbrunn Sculpture Park – programme
Notably, in his 2020 W&K exhibition, Kupelwieser's concept of sculpture, which transgressively incorporated notions of media and media-to-object interface, was emphasized. He works in paper, metal, plastic, concrete, rubber, glass, plexiglass, and uses photograms and "gonflables" as key strategies.W&K Galerie 2020 He also developed a "lake stage" in Lunz, which received the Austrian Building Prize in 2005.ORF Niederösterreich, 2005
Artistic profile Kupelwieser's work is often described as operating at the threshold between two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms. His practice emphasizes "interactions of materials, media, and form," often using "guided coincidence" methods where unexpected transformations are part of the creative outcome.Joanneum – artist statement
He experiments with photograms—objects directly exposed on photographic paper without camera optics—and interlaces them with sculpture and installation. Kupelwieser's works are included in national and international collections and represented by galleries such as Smolka Contemporary.Smolka Contemporary, 2024
Awards and honors 1994: Prize of the City of Vienna for Visual ArtsGenerali Foundation 2008: Lower Austrian Culture Prize — Media Art (Würdigungspreis)Niederösterreich government site
Selected works in collections & public space Some of his works are held in public and private collections; for example, Smolka Contemporary lists several recent aluminum and photogram works from 2023 to 2024.Smolka Contemporary, 2024
He has created public installations linking architecture and sculpture, such as his 2022 Krems church project, and previously in Hellbrunn and Lunz.Kunstmeile Krems
References
External links Universalmuseum Joanneum – Hans Kupelwieser profile W&K Galerie — Kupelwieser 2020 exhibition Smolka Contemporary — artist's page Kunstmeile Krems — Kupelwieser 2022 show Giese & Schweiger — bio Hellbrunn SculpturePark Generali Foundation