Manuke
Wolfgang Seierl
2006, 2020
Artist Statement
Referring to the call "then, now, after" my work is in three parts. The first one is a video work "Alles ist, alles ist nicht" from 2006, finished in 2020, with fragments taken from the streets in Nishinomiya accompanied by a Buddhist text from the 2nd century (Nagarjuna), a text that deals with the unrelatedness of things. The second is the central part, a conversation with my Japanese friends during the Corona-related shut down. It is about masks and distance. I sent so-called 112 "distance-drawings" to people in Europe, US and Japan. One of the answers to these drawings was about MANUKE. This inspired me to part three, an examination of Arthur Schopenhauers Parabel "The porcupines" that culminated in a series of drawings entitled "fragments" that represent a link to the images and text of part one. It relates to what might be in future...
The three parts of my work refer to the title of the call "then, now, after". Then: the examination of my relationship to Japan in the context of Buddhist philosophy. Video "Alles ist, alles ist nicht/Everything is, everything is not". Now: the exchange with fellow artists in Japan during the Corona crisis. 112 Distance-drawings sent to 112 persons. After: the study of the term MANUKE in relation to "distance" in German language philosophy. A series of paper works "fragments" (1-8).
Artist Bio
Born in Vienna in 1955, Wolfgang Seierl is equally active as an artist, musician and composer. He studied painting, guitar, and composition in Vienna and Salzburg. As a visual artist, Seierl has given one-man and group shows in Austria, Germany, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Switzerland, Hungary, Turkey, Japan and the US. As a composer, Seierl has been commissioned by the ORF, the International “Mozarteum” Foundation, the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde Wien, the Ensemble Sonne/Ashiya. Wolfgang Seierl has had performances and concert appearances in Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Montenegro, Lithuania, Turkey, Japan, China and the US.