Hannah Winkelbauer
Hannah Winkelbauer, born in 1987 in Vienna, is an Austrian artist whose work primarily focuses on portraiture and reflection on the human image. Winkelbauer studied Fine Arts and Painting at the University of Art in Linz from 2005 to 2011. Additionally, she pursued supplementary studies in Art History and Philosophy at the University of Art in Linz in 2006 and spent the academic year 2010-2011 at the Accademia di Belle Arti Bologna.
During her education, Winkelbauer developed a diverse artistic repertoire, including not only painting but also printmaking techniques such as screen printing, etching, woodcut, and video art. One of her most significant series is the "Ancestral Gallery," created in 2007, which depicts all eight Austrian presidents of the Second Republic and has been displayed at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna since 2009.
In 2011, Winkelbauer was awarded the Recognition Prize of the Cultural Ring of the Economy of Upper Austria for a work from her "Family" series as part of the "Parallel Worlds Young and Old" competition. In her art, Winkelbauer utilizes motifs from her immediate surroundings, often inspired by the media or everyday life. These motifs are meticulously drawn or painted and then detached from their context by presenting them against a neutral background. She is interested in images that hold significance for many people—perhaps in similar ways, but also in individually distinct manners. This approach allows her to engage in a multifaceted exploration of the themes in her works and invites viewers to form their own interpretations.