JOHANNES KOFLER

Johannes Kofler, born 1982 in Italy, lives and works in Brixen. Art education at the State Art School “Cademia” in Ortisei and the Free University of Bolzano, both in Italy. From 2012 –2016 he studied painting with Markus Lüpertz and Siegfried Anzinger at the Academy in Düsseldorf, Germany.

With great perseverance, Johannes Kofler pushes the development of his work, fully aware of the challenges of making an independent contribution to contemporary painting. “A painting that celebrates life and a life that celebrates painting.” (J.K., 2020)

Motifs emerge from the moment and the everyday, from lived experiences and often humorous ideas. It’s about the how, not the what, yet the titles still tell a story. In his most recent works, this narrative is entirely handed over to the viewer’s imagination as the paintings move further into abstraction.

Kofler’s conception of the image is influenced by the Italian Transavanguardia—particularly Ernesto Tatafiore—as well as the intricate visual worlds of Peter Doig and the bold color-form juxtapositions in Maria Lassnig’s work. His ambition is evident, and the consistency of his recent work confirms that the results are worthwhile.

“Johannes Kofler paints panoramas like close-ups, people like animals, and plants like lighters. He approaches areas in the same way he does lines, the abstract like the figurative, bodies like space, the mundane like religion. The wide range of motifs and image compositions is counterbalanced by a consistent style—a signature style that draws on art history. Texture, therefore, is one of the few elements where wealth is absent in the images. On one hand. On the other hand, texture doesn’t just come through representation but gains its richness as material itself. Kofler paints sometimes dry, sometimes wet, sometimes opaque, or lets thin paints run. Occasionally, the canvas is even stretched with denim fabric. Often, the objects in the image are internally blurred and airy, while externally they are defined by dense masses of color. The framing line has a dual nature: dependence as a silhouette (when it’s thought from the inside) and freedom as a design tool (when considered from the outside), confidently asserting its sovereignty while selflessly serving the shape’s model.” (Vicor Cos Ortega, artmagazine.cc, 2023)

“Ambivalent” is perhaps the best word to describe Johannes Kofler’s works exhibited at the Thoman Gallery. Kofler’s pieces evoke the expressive use of color by Maria Lassnig and the deliberately naïve flatness of Hubert Schmalix. His loose, wet brushstrokes reflect his training under Siegfried Anzinger and Markus Lüpertz. Yet appearances can be deceiving. While the painter clearly pays homage to his idols, the South Tyrolean masterfully retains his unique artistic identity.” (Andreas Maurer, Parnass, 2023)

↱ Pressetext/Werkliste, keine geschichten zu später stunde, dt
↱ Interview Dolomiten, Malerei aus einer Parallelsphäre, 26.1.2023
↱ Review ff. Das Südtiroler Wochenmagazin, Feier des Augenblicks, 26.1.2023
↱ Interview ff. Das Südtiroler Wochenmagazin, 02.03.2023
↱ Review artmagazine.cc, Johannes Kofler – keine geschichten zu später stunde: Freilassen und zurückhalten, 06.03.2023
↱ Review Parnass.at, 06.03.2023