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Countless black dots begin to float on the 300-metre-long, white-painted prison wall of the Karlau correctional facility in Graz. In 2013, Viktor Kröll worked on the execution of what is probably the largest wall painting in Austria. The diffuse accumulation and condensation of dots was produced with both hands, half consciously – half unconsciously, directly on the wall and by more than one person. Rossella Libardoni, an Italian artist, prisoners from the prison and even passers-by spontaneously helped with the execution. The result was a dynamic image that irritates the eye, extends over almost the entire wall and is only completed in the perception of the viewer.
Before Kröll became active as an artist, he was involved in the conception of international advertising campaigns. He knows from his own experience the interests of the clients and the one-dimensional effect of advertising. On the Karlau wall, in contrast, a collaborative work was created that also incorporates the location. The intervention in the urban space took place after consultation with the administration of justice, which also provided logistical support. Kröll's drawing resembles rather the formlessness of Informel than Street Arts graffiti or tags. In view of the impassable prison walls it also reminds us of the inmates' existence in a closed world behind the walls. A potential advertising space has become an ambiguous work of art with social references.
Location:
Triester Straße 30, 8020 Graz
47°03'18.3"N 15°25'40.2"E
