Showing
18
of
20
"WHAT IS BEING OVERLOOKED"
Haydngasse 15, 1060 Vienna
Exhibition duration: 22.04 - 28.05.26
Opening hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 3 - 6 pm.
Everyone knows comics, whether Superman, Spiderman or Duckburg. They amuse us and evoke fond memories. But what lies behind these familiar stories? The bodies of the characters have changed massively over decades. They move further and further away from reality and grow into unattainable ideals. Are social structures, judgments, and grievances hidden behind these colorful backdrops—disguised as harmless entertainment?
What does this have to do with everyday chores? With ironing, washing dishes, tidying up. What lies behind the mundane?
The exhibition shows that there is more to the familiar than we are aware of. Behind ordinary activities hide surprising, unexpected moments; behind entertaining narratives like heroic comic stories stand critical, outdated structures. It focuses on what we overlook—in the routine of everyday life as well as in the matter-of-fact way we let ourselves be entertained by heroic epics and stories.
Jolanda Rendl and Péter Tauber use their painting to reveal hidden moments and invite us to look at familiar images in a new way. They examine power in pop culture and meaning in the intimate. They deconstruct and condense.
Curated by Heribert Michlmayer
Jolanda Rendl
The artist explores intimate, often perceived as mundane, everyday situations, taking moments—ironing, washing dishes, tidying up—out of their usual context to imbue them with new meaning. Her painting not only depicts external circumstances but also reveals the psychological and emotional backgrounds of routine actions. Rendl works with patterns and repetitions, elements that create continuity and structure—both for herself in the creative process and for viewers, who re-examine what seems familiar. What appears ordinary becomes multi-layered; the private reveals emotional depth and complexity.
“For me, another very interesting approach was when cleanliness and order become part of daily life rituals. This gives us a sense of security and control, at least in our domestic sphere. Not only that, I think a very important part, regardless of the rituals themselves, is the feeling that stays with us when we have completed or achieved something. Even small things like emptying the dishwasher can leave a small sense of accomplishment and serve as a motivator for 'bigger' undertakings.”
Her works have been shown at Galerie Krinzinger in Vienna, at Parallel Vienna, and in other international group exhibitions.
Jolanda Rendl lives and works in Vienna.
She completed her painting studies at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna in October 2025 under Professor Daniel Richter.
Péter Tauber
“The urge to destroy is also a creative urge.” - Mikhail Bakunin
Tauber moves between comics and abstract art. He grew up in Hungary, where Western comics were omnipresent – ideologically foreign, visually fascinating.
The images touched him, but the stories didn't. His painting uses familiar colors, shapes, and dynamics, yet omits classic narrative structures. Instead of heroes, movement and fragments take center stage. This creates a world that appears simultaneously chaotic and orderly, familiar and foreign. Classic comics convey idealized worldviews.
Scrooge McDuck embodies capitalism, Donald Duck the working class, Superman the messianic savior. Tauber dissolves these structures. He shatters these worlds with creative pleasure. His deconstruction is not mere destruction – it is a creative process. In this way, Tauber creates a visual experience that offers space for reflection. His art is not a mere homage, but a playful, critical engagement with these universes and their messages.
“Destroying such worlds is fun for me, but it’s not mere destruction. In the
process of annihilation, something new emerges.”
Péter Tauber lives and works in Vienna. He completed his painting studies at the Academy
of Fine Arts Vienna under Professor Daniel Richter.
