Hans Knoll - Art as a Form of Mediation
16. April 2008, 10:56:10 unter: Audio, Austria, Galleries, Gallery Hans Knoll, German, Podcasts, ViennaIn the art world, one thing leads to another—this is the principle by which Hans Knoll began his career as an art dealer, which remains his guiding principle up until today. Knoll began in the early 80s with a space, a weekly dinner among friends, artists, and accompanying guests, and the possibilities that arose from this set-up led to exhibitions, performances, and music. These events were at the time more along the lines of occasions for bonding. However, they eventually turned into serious gallery events and the subsequent realization that one must expand beyond Vienna in order to truly develop in the art world.
Hans Knoll - Art as a Form of Mediation, Interview Part 1
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Hans Knoll - Art as a Form of Mediation, Interview Part 2
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| send feedback In the first half of the 1980s, the young art dealer was already getting involved with the art world in Hungary. He founded an artists’ co-op in Budapest as a kind of communist counterpart to his gallery and thereby set himself apart in the art world from the surrounding East European countries. When the door between the East and West was opened, it became apparent to Knoll that his position would remain relatively neutral. He curated exhibitions that mediated both sides and by the beginning of the 1990s, he realized that the sudden massive interest from the West in art from the unknown Eastern European countries which accompanied the opening of the borders could be to some extent a temporary disadvantage.
Knoll realized that his ability to stay inspired during this time of upheaval required stamina. He often considered closing his gallery during this time, but in the end, he met the challenge and began to work in Moscow. He now finds St. Petersburg a very exciting place for art.
Knoll’s desire to develop, to network, as well as his stability and his realistic grasp of his own possibilities and limitations have opened many doors for him in the art world. He works very closely with Blue Noses und AES+F, from Russia, as well as representing the Hungarian artists, Ákos Birkás und Csaba Nemes. In Austria, the Gallery Knoll also represents artists such as Mara Mattuschka und Wilhelm Scherübl. (wh/jn)
