Gars am Kamp, Austria
Stefan Korinek
First of all, I would like to say that I do NOT apply any colours; it is the copper alone that produces the colours; I am merely the catalyst. Born in S...
First of all, I would like to say that I do NOT apply any colours; it is the copper alone that produces the colours; I am merely the catalyst.
Born in Stockerau, a village situated in the wonderfully unremarkable ”Weinviertel“ (Wine Quarter) in Lower Austria. Various stops along the way: Prague, Berlin, Calcutta, Copenhagen, Lagos. “A dream is a sealed letter containing what you already know.“ This quotation by Gerhard Roth offers an insight into my work. Through my tableaux, I make sense of my emotional worlds and, at the same time, strive – in keeping with my fundamental beliefs – to highlight that everything is connected to everything else, that everything determines everything else, and that synchronicity is at work. The conceptual continuity on which my work is based is distinctly meditative in nature. I recite thousands of mantras whilst working, all intended to benefit all beings. TIKUN HA OLAM – repairing the world – is the foundation of my work. The preparations for the first punch into the sheet metal often do take quite some time: I recite many mantras pleading for help, I have lengthy internal debates, and I contemplate the I Ching. Only then do the first breaches occur. Everything is set in motion; destruction claims its space and becomes manifest. An appreciation of transience, my principal concern, is reflected in the patina. Often, the patination goes hand in hand with the sketching, and only when I perceive both to be in harmony do I pierce the copper. I strive to enable those who contemplate my works to take a break from this ever-accelerating life and world, in order to slow down, to relax, and to venture on a journey within, to remain present in the ”here and now“. Hence, I create mandalas as a contribution to harmonising the world and society. It all began a long time ago with a dream. I dreamt of a canoe, decorated with Buddhist mantras and glowing from within. The entire boat was gleaming and left a lasting and notably calming impression on me in my dream. Weeks later, when I discovered a sketch in my dream diary that I’d drawn that night, the long-forgotten image resurfaced. Once again, its peaceful aura affected me deeply, and I immediately set about turning it into a project. During the final phase of the work – riveting the individual parts, which was carried out outdoors – dawn broke and a light rain began to fall. My hands, having worked with copper all day long, literally emitted a bluish-green glow due to the copper oxide. Once the canoe was finished, I packed it with around a hundred light bulbs and hoisted it up the nearest suitable tree using a thick rope, where I secured it and connected the light bulbs to the mains. There has rarely been a moment in my life when I have been happier than when I saw the canoe light up. Given that I have occupied quite a unique position in the world with regard to the way I express my emotions and sentiments, there were no tutors available to further my knowledge or refine my technical skills. Left to my own devices, I have found my own path, which I have been following since 1991. Art trips to Kurdistan, Nepal, India and the former USSR have provided me with a wealth of new influences and inspiration. I have held frequent exhibitions since 1992.
