Georg Haberler Austrian, b. 1985

At the core of Haberler's artistic practice lies an ongoing investigation into the boundaries between abstraction and representation. His compositions unfold as vibrant, densely layered pictorial worlds in which organic shapes, fragmented figures, and playful visual associations coexist. Rather than following a predetermined narrative, his works develop according to an intuitive painterly logic, allowing unexpected relationships to emerge between individual elements. The resulting images oscillate between familiarity and ambiguity, inviting viewers to discover their own interpretations within the complex visual structures.

A distinctive feature of Haberler's work is his experimental approach to materials and techniques. Combining colourful inks with machine stitching, he expands the traditional vocabulary of painting through processes more commonly associated with textile production. The sewing machine becomes a drawing instrument, introducing lines, contours, and tactile structures that interact with fluid painterly gestures. Through this combination of techniques, Haberler creates surfaces that move between the graphic and the sculptural, challenging conventional distinctions between artistic media.

His compositions are characterised by a dynamic interplay of movement, rhythm, and colour. Forms appear to grow, overlap, and transform, creating visual relationships that suggest imaginary landscapes, bodily fragments, or fantastical creatures without settling into fixed representations. Humour, spontaneity, and an openness to chance play an important role in this process, allowing the works to retain a sense of curiosity and experimentation.

Haberler's artistic language also reflects an interest in the narrative potential of images. His works evoke fragments of stories, memories, and imagined encounters, yet deliberately resist straightforward interpretation. Through the juxtaposition of abstract gestures and recognisable elements, he creates pictorial spaces in which multiple meanings remain possible. The viewer becomes an active participant, connecting visual fragments and constructing individual narratives from the layered compositions.

Haberler's international exhibition history includes a solo presentation with SUPPAN at the Astoria Artshow, Vienna (2026), as well as solo exhibitions such as Plitscher Plätscher at Jo Van De Loo, Munich (2026), Hopp Hopp at Andreae, Bonn (2026), Guck guck at Art World, Vienna (2026), He goes backward, looks forward at Weserhalle, Berlin (2025), Kannst du mich halten at Mario Mauroner Contemporary Art, Salzburg (2024), Kleiner Fuß im großen Schuh at Jo Van De Loo, Munich (2024), and Boots, Bags, Legs at FCA Ghana, Accra (2024). Earlier solo presentations include Von Krokodilen und Löwinnen at Weserhalle, Berlin (2023), and I Wish at Collaborations, Copenhagen (2022).

His work has also been featured in numerous international group exhibitions, including Humans and Demons at steirischer herbst, Graz (2023), Why Austrians Now? Austrian Expedition at the Radvila Palace Museum of Art, Vilnius (2021), and A Playground Guide to Getting Lost at Neue Galerie, Graz (2021). Further presentations include exhibitions at Kunsthalle Exnergasse, Vienna (2022), CCA Andratx, Mallorca (2022), Galerie Meyer Riegger, Karlsruhe (2022), and SUPPAN, Vienna, where he participated in WHEN PAINTING KICKS IN (2022), Tutti Frutti Vol. 2 (2024), and A Show With No Name (2024). His works have also been presented at Art Düsseldorf, SPARK Art Fair Vienna, and Art Cologne.

In 2021, Haberler received the Promotion Prize of the Province of Styria. He was also awarded a start-up scholarship by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Arts and Culture in 2018 and an international residency scholarship in Accra, Ghana, in 2024.

Through his playful and experimental approach to painting, Haberler develops a distinctive visual language that transcends traditional artistic categories. Combining the immediacy of drawing, the expressive possibilities of painting, and the tactile qualities of textile and sculpture, his works create imaginative spaces in which abstraction and storytelling continuously intersect.