Strobl

For her multi-part Strobl monument, a jury of six has unanimously selected Iris Andraschek as the winner of the invitation-only competition ‘A Monument for Helmut Strobl at the Kunsthaus Graz’. The project consists of a light- and sound-work in the foyer of the Kunsthaus Graz and an annual poster campaign to mark Human Rights Day. The new start for this is on February 11th, 2022.

firstly: a fixed sign made of illuminated letters in the Foyer

Strobl. Functioning like an advertisement and a signature at the same time, this illuminated sign in the foyer of the Kunsthaus ensures that not only the presence of Helmut Strobl is felt in the museum. Without first names, the sign refers to many people with that name. In this way, the work succeeds in widening the content’s focus on memory and identification – very much in the spirit of Helmut Strobl, who placed his work in the service of others and did not take himself too seriously. And Draschek thus opens up the idea of the monument to include the notion of reflection (Denk mal!), in the sense of an impulse. The illuminated sign is positioned in the foyer to the left, next to the main entrance on Lendkai, meaning it is placed between the interior and exterior spaces, allowing it to be perceived by those passing by, and at night, too.

secondly: sound work and poster series

The highly distinctive and memorable voice of Helmut Strobl can be heard from a small opening in the wall below the sign. With the involvement of family and friends, the artist will select excerpts from speeches, and fragments of interviews and conversations.
The 30-part poster series is spread out over a period of six years and in terms of contents is based on 30 articles of the Declaration of Human Rights. Iris Andraschek will treat five human rights every year both on the visual and substantive levels until 2026, weaving them together with illustrations of personal objects, photographs and texts of Helmut Strobl. We will open the project with a celebration centred around human rights, on February 11th, 2022. Afterwards, the posters will always be on display on or around December 10th at selected locations in the city. 

Graphic design of the poster series: Karin Holzfeind