The 2013 Ars Electronica Festival
FEATURED ARTIST: HR Giger
Exhibition Opening in the LENTOS Art Museum / September 4, 2013
(Linz, July 31, 2013) HR Giger is the featured artist at Ars Electronica 2013. The Swiss native gained worldwide renown with his “Alien” creature that played a major role in Ridley Scott’s 1979 science fiction film attaining cult status. The upcoming exhibition in the LENTOS Art Museum, “HR GIGER – The Art of Biomechanics,” will feature world-famous images as well as some of the artist’s paintings, sculptures, graphics and short films that have never been shown before. Plus, Deep Space at the Ars Electronica Center will screen high-definition, gigapixel images that HR Giger has created expressly for this venue.
HR Giger at the LENTOS Art Museum and the Ars Electronica Center
Visitors to this year’s Ars Electronica Festival can immerse themselves in the gloomy, biomechanical worlds of HR Giger. The exhibition entitled “HR GIGER – The Art of Biomechanics” opens up a dystopian perspective of the human-machine interrelationship. Paintings, sculptures, graphics and short films—some making their public debut—present the fantastic artist as the visionary father of early cyborgs and as an architect of interior spaces and landscapes of collective horror. The exhibition that will be opened on September 4 at 7 PM, traces HR Giger’s path from the “Necronom” cycle to his latest work featured in the 2012 film “Prometheus.” Giger’s legendary “Alien Diaries” from 1978-79 are among the rarities on display at the LENTOS. HR Giger will personally conduct a tour of the exhibition on Thursday, September 5th at 2:30 PM. Then at 5 PM, the artist will present and sign copies of his book, “Alien-Diaries.” Another opportunity to experience HR Giger live will be on the following Friday, September 6th in Deep Space at the Ars Electronica Center, where HR Giger will present works including gigapixel images created especially for the Festival.
HR Giger
Born in 1940 in Chur, Switzerland, Giger’s artistic roots extend back into the art history of the 19th century. He was part of the 1960s avant-garde and one of the leading innovators in the fantastic art genre. HR Giger’s works have already attained the status of classics, and not only among aficionados of 1990s cyberculture. The painter, sculptor, architect and designer made an international name for himself with the development of a “biomechanical” style all his own. The figure he created for “Alien” is considered a milestone in the sci-fi/horror film genre and was singled out for recognition with the 1980 Oscar in the Best Visual Effects category.
Total Recall – The Evolution of Memory
This year’s Ars Electronica Festival is set for September 5-9 in Linz. The 2013 theme is TOTAL RECALL – The Evolution of Memory. The festival program includes, as always, a diversified lineup of symposia, exhibitions, performances, interventions and concerts. Details will be posted over the coming weeks to ars.electronica.art/totalrecall. Plus, thought-provoking background info and interviews with participating artists and scientists will be made available on the festival blog at ars.electronica.art/aeblog.
press release “Ars Electronica Festival 2013: Featured Artist – HR Giger” / PDF
A photo-story surrounding the Featured Artist can be found on the AE Blog.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arselectronica/9259163895/
Necoronom IV (1976) / HR Giger (2013) / Printversion / Album
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arselectronica/9259164099/
Mutanten (1975) / HR Giger (2013) / Printversion / Album
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arselectronica/9259163693/
HR Giger at work / HR Giger (2013) / Printversion / Album
