Ottmar Hörl is a German conceptual artist, sculptor, installation, action, photography, and object artist. He is considered as an "offensive and direct strategist campaigning for a new type of public art”.
This post will bring to life some of Hörl's most notable public projects.
Hanging guardian angels in London, England - 55 Wolves spread across the inspiring grounds of the Schloss zu Hopferau Castle in Germany and an incredible Beethoven exhibition covering more than one thousand square metres in Bonn, the birthplace of the master composer.
"Lunch Break" - London, England.
This installation was created in 2019 and utilised an existing "wire grid" sculpture which was designed by ScottWhitbyStudio in conjunction with 2018 London Festival of Architecture.
The installation displayed a number of guardian angels taking a break on a swings which is something one might actually be worried about.
This amusing installation makes art, architecture and resting angels meet and take a short break. The break however stretched further than just the resting angels as it invited passers-by to join in for that break. It sparked attention amongst strangers and had people engaging in conversation. On top of this, it encouraged people to look up, where they gained a completely new perspective of St Paul's Cathedral.
These types of engaging public displays help to create an installation that is so much more than just the art itself. Its the whole experience, include all the thoughts and discussions had.
"Wolves at the Castle" - Hopferau, Germany.
Amongst the stunning landscape of the palace grounds at Hopferau, near Füssen, a large pack of wolves have found a space for themselves. Marking the 550th anniversary of the Castle, there were 55 of them displayed. They were be spotted under trees, in the meadows, by the terrace, peering at the fish in the castle lake and, in Ottmar Hörl's words, “providing food for thought and discussion”.
Bernd H. Rath, the lord of the castle found wolves are a very fitting match for the former hunting lodge. His desire was not to restrict art to an elite circle, but offer it to everyone. This is a thought that connected the artist and the lord of the castle. Hörl stated, "I work for everyone in society, not just the three percent of those interested in art, who find their way into galleries”. Rath, truly hopes that the sculptures will encourage more people to enter the castle walls, and be inspired by its beauty and history.
The installation was accompanied by other sculptures and paintings crafted by Ottmar Hörl. For the exhibition, Ottmar Hörl also developed a series of new and unique work entitled “Wasteland”.
The result is a breathtaking. It created a force, like so many of his installations that appears to draw viewers in.
"Beethoven - Ode to Joy" - Bonn, Germany
More than 700 Beethoven statues sprawled over more than one thousand square meters. This really was an absolutely sensational art installation of incredible proportions.
This project was created to honour the on the 250th birthday of the composer Beethoven. Hörl aimed at creating an interactive, thought provoking exhibition and did so in unbelievable fashion. He wanted to create an impulse for communication and quoted “Everyone who comes into contact with the installation is part of the project."The installation itself was created at the foot of the world-famous Beethoven monument, inaugurated in 1845. Beethoven was not only born in Bonn, he also lived and worked in the city for 22 years - longer than Mozart in Salzburg.
Hörl’s Beethoven sculptures are predominantly green, based on the historical Beethoven monument, but are also produced as a "Gold Edition" with reference to the Beethoven anniversary 2020. Hörl used a sponsorship programme in which people could take citizenship of their very own Beethoven. The godparents bought each sculpture for 300 euros, which they then owned at the end of the installation.
It is seen that one of the reasons for its great success was in the fact that with the smiling Beethoven, the cliché of the grim composer struggling with fate is questioned. People feel that this one-sided perception does not do Beethoven justice. Beethoven was also a cheerful, people-loving artist with a lot of humour and wit.
These examples are just the very tip of the hundreds incredible installations that Hörl has created over the years. If your interested in other projects, please spend some time looking through his history for yourself - he is an inspiration to the art world.
If you would like a piece of history, created by Ottmar Hörl himself, then please browse our collection - The Ninety Eight's.
Leave a comment