Kurt Hentschläger
Austria, 1960
Kurt Hentschläger is an artist who creates immersive audiovisual works that push the limits of perception.
Artwork in the Encyclopedia of New Media Art archive
EXIT OASIS UNEASE
About the artwork
EXIT OASIS UNEASE was created in 2020, during the first year of the pandemic, and takes stock of the sudden, radical changes it brought to everyday life. As cities fell silent and routines came to a halt, Hentschläger’s video captures the conflicting emotions of that moment, which its three-word title seems to hold together: the wish to escape, the sense of refuge and a persistent unease. He describes ‘the sense of wonder in almost everything coming to a stop’ and, finally, ‘myself becoming still and focused on the private present.’ Presented in 4K with stereo and subwoofer sound, the work continues his long exploration of immersive audiovisual experience, here turned towards a more intimate and reflective register.
Artistic career: Kurt Hentschläger
Artistic practice and research
Kurt Hentschläger (Austria, 1960) is an artist who creates immersive audiovisual works that push the limits of perception. In the 1990s he co-founded the duo Granular Synthesis with Ulf Langheinrich, which represented Austria at the 2001 Venice Biennale. His solo installations and performances, such as FEED and ZEE, surround audiences with pulsing light, fog and sound, blurring the line between what we see and what we imagine.