about

Oliver R. Meschnig was born in Villach in 1981 and lives and works in Vienna. In the late phase of his studies, he specialized in intercultural philosophy and art philosophy, which not only marked the starting point of his artistic work, but also represents a central theme in his works. These are characterized above all by contrasts, both thematic and material. 

After starting to work as an artist in 2019, he held several exhibitions in Germany and abroad, including in Berlin, Madrid, New York, Prague and Vienna.

Meschnig's oeuvre ties in seamlessly with his philosophical work and thinking. It spans a wide range from high-contrast action painting to digital-analog object paintings and expansive installations. His works stimulate reflection through anachronistic confrontations, a powerful, performative style and complex thought structures that repeatedly go beyond the framework of the painterly space. Seemingly irreconcilable dichotomies oppose and complement each other while simultaneously canceling and reinforcing each other.

He skillfully combines the themes of junk art with the quiet style of Art Informel, without falling into a superficial eclecticism.

Strongly influenced by Nietzsche's philosophy of art, intoxication is reflected in the artist's works as a performative stylistic foundation.In terms of content, the artist critically examines current developments and changes in society, media and the individual. He focuses on exposing supposed dualities, which on closer inspection are often just different sides of the same coin.

For example, old newspapers from the 1930s clash with modern hard disks in an anachronistic confrontation to pose the question of the half-life and relevance of human knowledge and ultimately the value of facts themselves.
Not only philosophy, but also his career and perspective as a software developer are reflected in the works.An image sculpture and the AI working within it, consisting of monitors built into a screen, monitor and simultaneously represent the viewer.The perspectives become blurred, the observer becomes the observed, the observed becomes the observer.