Deborah Sengl Deborah Sengl

DEBORAH SENGL / DISCOVERIES

The artist Deborah Sengl describes her "revelations" with irony and sarcasm: hybrid creatures of animals and humans, victims and perpetrators. Hierarchies between living beings, genetic modifications, camouflage and (self) deception, imitation, disguise and parody are topics of their overall concept. In her painting, media art and sculpture made from animal preparations, Deborah Sengl critically refers to the ambivalence between reality and appearance, good and evil.
Barbara Baum, Strabag Art Forum

The relationships between humans and animals are as diverse as those of all organisms to one another. Following an apparent system of order, the individual existences benefit, protect, harm and fight each other. In the hierarchical context, humans line up in front of animals and animals in front of plants. Only humans can choose to accept this order - they come first and determine the coexistence between all living things.
We deny our animal past or at least call it our "lower" nature and suppress it. Ambivalent behavior, however, still makes people yearn for animal powers, although there is a fear of losing humanity ...
Günther Holler-Schuster, curator, Neue Galerie, Graz

Deborah Sengl, a trained artist and biologist, offers a number of possibilities in her work that result from this consequence. It reacts to phenomena that actually occur in nature - the ant jumping spider imitates the appearance of its own prey - or invents variants of a similar character (camouflage and deception). Camouflage is one of the easiest ways to change one's appearance and thus deceive the environment. Genetic engineering as a much more complex system, on the other hand, determines new forms of existence ...
Whether these are new mythical creatures, or whether an ironic comment on genetic engineering can be read out here, must be left to the viewer.
Günther Holler-Schuster, curator, Neue Galerie, Graz

DEBORAH SENGL

1974 born in Vienna
1992 studies at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna, master class Mario Terzic, visual media design
1995 Art Academy Berlin / Weißensee, fashion department
1996 Christian Ludwig Attersee master class, diploma in textile designs, costume and stage sets
Lives and works in Vienna

www.deborahsengl.com

Exhibitions (selection)

2006  
Ertarnungen; Galerie Sechzig, Feldkirch
Ertarnungen; Galerie Tazl, Graz
I was born to make you happy; Semperdepot, Wien
Österreich 1900-2000; Sammlung Essl, Klosterneuburg (Bet.)

2005   
Ertarnung III; lukasfeichtner galerie, Wien
Figur und Wirklichkeit; Tiroler Landesmuseum, Ferdinandeum (Bet.) 
Figur & Skulptur; Sammlung Essl, Klosterneuburg

2004   
Ertarnungen; Galerie Thiele, Linz
Dein Schwein ist mein Schwein; Galerie Marcus Deschler, Berlin
Erzüchtigungen & Ertarnungen; Forum Kunst Rottweil, Rottweil

2003  
Ertarnungen II; Galerie feichtner & mizrahi, Wien
Ertarnungen, Oriontarnungen; Erzüchtungen;
Galerie Binz &Krämer,KölnErtarnungen;Galerie K4, Saarbrücken 
Ertarnungen II; Neue Galerie/Studio, Graz

2002   
Ertarnungen; Galerie Karin Sachs, München

2001  
Die Schlange-als Räuber-ertarnt sich die begehrte Beute; Kupferstichkab., 
Ertarnungen; Galerie feichtner & mizrahi, Wien

2000  
Der Vogel-als Räuber-ertarnt sich die begehrte Beute; Galerie Arc, Wien
Pyssla 1 – 30; Galerie Station 3, Wien

1999   
Oriontarnung; Kunstbuero 1060, Wien
Oriontarnung; Kunstverein Paradigma, Linz


Prices

1999   17.Römerquellekunstbewerb, Salzburg, Klagenfurt, Wien
1996   25.Österreichischer Grafikwettbewerb, Wirtschaftskammer Tirol
2002   Förderungspreis der Stadt Wien
2005   Walter Koschatzky Preis, Wien (Nominierung)