Astrid Esslinger

Astrid Esslinger scrutinizes cultural and social-political themes in her works.

The paintings circulate formally between abstraction and figuration, process and object, consolidation and reduction, as well as between the visible and the non-visible.
Beginning with the formal gesture of the concrete brush- stroke, the artist creates portraits and scenes that, in different contexts, accommodate the narrative. The abstraction of painting, which experienced its most consistent realization with the suprematist “Black Square on a White Background” (1915) by Kazimir Malevich, is Esslinger’s point of departure in representing the figurative in her painting.
Esslinger paints with acrylic on canvas, usually working on several pictures at the same time.


Her Cut Outs are the direct product of her working visits in metropolitan regions like São Paulo, New York, Berlin, Los Angeles and Teheran. She collects cardboard boxes on site, picks out the ones that are suitable, and works with the texts, barcodes and logos found on them.
Esslinger makes use of graphical strategies for an artistic analysis of global power relations. Her appropriation of logos and pictograms reflects geo-political identity constructions with artistic means, and...

Astrid Esslinger works in Linz, AT.

She studied Communication and Art History at the University of Salzburg. 1981 and 83 she was on a research scholarship in the USA exploring American Indian culture in terms of communication and perception. Parallel she was active in the artists collective Stadtwerkstatt and was involved in the conception and editing of artistic projects. After the birth of her daughter she moved to the country and established the Isolation Tank Studio for textile works and drawings. She works as a free-lance-artist since 1987; her works are shown and collected in Europe, the USA and Brasil.

2021
18 x 9 cm, Kunstverein Paradigma, Linz AT (participation)
Ich bin hinausgegangen - eine Begegnung mit der Komponistin Mathilde Kralik, Brucknerhaus, Linz AT
Von Geburt und Tod, Kunsthaus Deutschvilla, Strobl AT (participation)
Fliegender Wechsel, dieKunstsammlung, Linz AT (articipation)
2020
Sommerausstellung, Schloßmuseum, Linz AT (participation)
Acervo a Vist, Xiclet_Galeria, São Paulo (participation)
2019
10th Anniversery, flat 1, Wien AT (participation)
glut 8, Hofkabinett, Linz AT (participation)
Hinterglas, Kunstverein Paradigma, Linz AT (participation)
Rheinresidency Basel CH
Match Point, dieKunstsammlung, Linz AT (participation)Vom Globalen zu irgeneinem Dorf, iersid_artclub, Hadres AT
Vice Versa, Aktionsraum LinKz, Linz AT (participation)
2018
ZWEIMAL 6 Jubiläumsausstellung, Museum Angerlehner, Thalheim AT (participation)
Linzer Kunstsalon, Landesgalerie, Linz AT (participation)
KeinKopfMensch, Kunsthaus Deutschvilla, Strobl AT (participation)
Stilkonsil, Kunstverein Paradigma, Linz AT (with Doris Walaschek)
Zusammen, Galerie Hofkabinett, Linz AT (participation)

2017
Demontage, Werkstadt Graz, Graz AT (participation)
Buchstabenfest, Zollamt Bad Radkersburg AT (participatiom)
Transit II, Schlo...