Peter Kogler1 is a renowned artist from Austria2 that currently works and lives in Vienna3. Kogler is best known for his different psychedelic room installations. Through his paintwork and his intricate projections, he transforms ordinary looking rooms and spaces such as lobbies, galleries, and transit centers by making them look twisted, warped or distorted, which in turn has a psychedelic effect on the public.
Biography
Kogler was born in 1959 but is today regarded as a famous pioneer in the field of computer-generated art. Although his work spans decades (more than 30 years), his installations continue to improve regarding design and depth, which has allowed him to experience success throughout his career. At the start of his career, he dabbled in painting and experimental filmmaking but settled on computer technology in 1984.
Kogler uses different mediums
Kogler’s room installations explore vital concepts in his art, such as modularity and repetition. The rooms alter one’s perception of architecture4, which serves as the primary medium for his art. Aside from his dizzying rooms, Kogler is also a performance, film and video artist and a sculptor.
Peter Kogler’s Rooms
For his Rooms installations, Kogler essentially uses hypnotizing line designs to affect the viewer’s perception in unique and unnatural ways. He transforms ordinary spaces into virtual mazes with different interesting lines, creating a feeling of undefined movement for everyone who experiences his various room installations.
Most of his room installations are mainly 2D in nature, allowing them to be more eye-catching and engaging. They do a great job of inviting the user to interact with their surroundings and allow audiences to view old environments in new and unforeseen ways.
Video: Peter Kogler speaks about his work
6 min 8 sec English subtitles available
Technique & medium
Most of the backgrounds that he prefers to use are white, and the intersecting lines are often bold. To ensure that the audience indeed gets lost in his installations, he mixes whites, blacks, and sometimes reds to create stark contrasts that generate a dramatic illusion. Aside from lines, he also uses geometrical elements similarly.
Conclusion
With each work and each viewer, the experience and perception are different and unexpected, making the room installations fascinating for anyone who experiences them. His multifaceted style complements whichever medium he uses, whether it is an art space or a subway station.
Kogler’s works have been featured in numerous collections and museums as well as in popular public spaces across the world. Because of his unique approach, he has managed to create an absorbing and impressive composition of works.
Selected works
Chiostro Del Bramante, Rome 2018
3 Peter Kogler – Dream, installation view, Chiostro Del Bramante, Rome, 20184 Peter Kogler – Dream, installation view, Chiostro Del Bramante, Rome, 2018
Galerie Johann Widauer, Innsbruck, Austria, 2018
5 Peter Kogler – Installation view, Galerie Johann Widauer, Innsbruck, 20186 Peter Kogler – Installation view, Galerie Johann Widauer, Innsbruck, 20187 Peter Kogler – Installation view, Galerie Johann Widauer, Innsbruck, 2018
Willkommen im Labyrinth, Marta Herford, Germany, 2018
8 Peter Kogler – Willkommen im Labyrinth, installation view, Marta Herford, 2018, photo: Hans Schroeder9 Peter Kogler – Willkommen im Labyrinth, installation view, Marta Herford, 2018, photo: Hans Schroeder10 Peter Kogler – Willkommen im Labyrinth, installation view, Marta Herford, 2018, photo: Hans Schroeder
Galerie im Taxispalais, Innsbruck, Austria, 2014
11 Peter Kogler – Galerie im Taxispalais, Innsbruck, Austria, 201412 Peter Kogler – Galerie im Taxispalais, Innsbruck, Austria, 2014
Astana Contemporary Art Center, Kazakhstan, Artists & Robots, 2017
13 Peter Kogler – o.T., installation view, Artists & Robots, Astana Contemporary Art Center, Kazakhstan, 201714 Peter Kogler – o.T., installation view, Artists & Robots, Astana Contemporary Art Center, Kazakhstan, 2017
Subway station Karlsplatz, Wien, 2011/12, Vienna
15 Peter Kogler – Subway station Karlsplatz, Wien, 2011/12, photo: Iris Ranzinger
documenta IX, 1992 & documenta X, 1997
16 Peter Kogler – Ants, Museum Fridericanum, Kassel, Germany, documenta IX, 1992, photo: Dirk Pauwels17 Peter Kogler – Documentahalle Kassel, Germany, documenta X, 1997, photo: Werner Maschmann18 Peter Kogler – Documentahalle Kassel, Germany, documenta X, 1997, photo: Werner Maschmann19 Peter Kogler – Documentahalle Kassel, Germany, documenta X, 1997, photo: Werner Maschmann
Brussels, 2016
20 Peter Kogler – Art Brussels 2016, photo: Vincent Everarts21 Peter Kogler – Art Brussels 2016, photo: Vincent Everarts22 Peter Kogler – Art Brussels 2016, photo: Vincent Everarts23 Peter Kogler – Art Brussels 2016, photo: Vincent Everarts24 Peter Kogler – Art Brussels 2016, photo: Vincent Everarts25 Peter Kogler – ING Art Center, Brussels, 2016, photo: Vincent Everarts26 Peter Kogler – ING Art Center, Brussels, 2016, photo: Vincent Everarts27 Peter Kogler – ING Art Center, Brussels, 2016, photo: Vincent Everarts28 Peter Kogler – ING Art Center, Brussels, 2016, photo: Vincent Everarts29 Peter Kogler – ING Art Center, Brussels, 2016, photo: Vincent Everarts30 Peter Kogler – ING Art Center, Brussels, 2016, photo: Vincent Everarts31 Peter Kogler – ING Art Center, Brussels, 2016, photo: Vincent Everarts
Kunsthalle Krems, 1996
32 Peter Kogler – Ohne Titel, Kunsthalle Krems, 1996, photo: Margherita Spiluttini33 Peter Kogler – Ohne Titel, Kunsthalle Krems, 1996, photo: Margherita Spiluttini
6 min 8 sec
