Clemens Wolf Austria, b. 1981

Clemens Wolf (b. 1981) lives and works in Vienna, Austria. Since graduating from the University of Arts Linz, his artistic practice has revolved around processes of transformation, material memory, and the preservation of fleeting moments. Fascinated by discarded and overlooked materials, Wolf investigates the tension between decay and renewal, often drawing on objects marked by use, history, and abandonment.  

Central to his recent body of work are discarded parachutes—objects with a former life as instruments of rescue and flight. A passionate parachutist himself, Wolf transforms these remnants into paintings, sculptures, and wall-based reliefs. The parachute fabric is saturated with tinted epoxy resin and meticulously arranged before being fixed in place, preserving every fold, crease, and contraction in a singular, irreproducible state.  

Wolf’s works occupy a compelling space between painting, sculpture, and drawing. Their luminous surfaces and vibrant chromatic intensity evoke organic forms, while the hardened resin captures a moment of transition suspended in time. For the artist, the fold becomes a metaphor for impermanence, fragility, and the impossibility of repetition. The delicate parachute cords trace subtle linear structures that further blur the boundaries between two- and three-dimensional expression.  

The choice of the parachute is particularly significant. As an object designed to negotiate gravity, it embodies the tension between ascent and descent, freedom and restraint. By freezing its collapse into permanent form, Wolf transforms an ephemeral movement into a lasting presence, inviting viewers to reflect on time, transformation, and the beauty of the transient.