Where are you from and how does that influence your work?
I come from a small village in Vorarlberg, from which I actually always wanted to leave. In my work, I experience a form of spatial boundary dissolution and the opening up of new spaces. Therefore, it is actually no longer so important where I come from. This brings to mind a wonderful quote by Milo Rau: "With art, you can create spaces that are spaces of hope."
How important are artistic role models to you? Do you have any specific artistic role models?
It is always a great experience and a source of deep joy for me when I encounter art that moves something within me. This was the case, for example, with Eva Hesse, Marina Abramović, Danica Dakić, Nairy Baghramian, Matthew Barney, Monika Sosnowska, and many others.
Photo: Elsbeth Gisinger_Fessler, Zwangsläufig Installation
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
For me, inspiration is a kind of somnambulistic state, fed by bodily experiences and cognitive realization processes.
Has your style changed in recent years?
Although my works can differ in execution and statement, I have remained largely true to my artistic language. However, in recent years, I have increasingly turned toward installation and active interaction with the viewers. Furthermore, the engagement with socio-philosophical questions has gained increasing importance as the conceptual basis of my work.
What do you usually do when you are bored?
Personally, I would prefer to replace the term "boredom" with "leisure" or "idleness." Then I love to play the piano.
In your eyes, why is art important for society?
Art is a seismograph of societal developments as well as a source of hope in difficult times. Art is a means of communication that can be fruitful both in personal conversation and in social discourse. And I would very much wish for art to be easily experienced and accessible to many people.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
It is hard for me to imagine having a superpower. I think accepting life in all its facets and realizing that strength also means inner strength is already "super."
Photo: Elsbeth Gisinger_Fessler, Zwangsläufig_03, 2021
Do you listen to music while working? If so, what kind of music? Does it have an impact on your work?
The idea requires silence. During the execution, I mainly listen to classical music (primarily Bach) or jazz, and for the finale, Rolando Villazón or Maria Callas have their big performance.
Which famous person, dead or alive, would you like to have a conversation with, and about what?
There are several. I would love to talk with Harald Szeemann about innovative currents in art, with Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari about rhizome theory, with Hartmut Rosa about his resonance theory, with Maren Urner about the visions of young thinkers, and last but not least with Rosi Braidotti about gender roles and a politics of affirmation.