Art meets Technology 2022: „Ladybug – the little happiness?”
“The events of the last few months are whirling humanity wildly, bringing unbearable tragedy and misery to many innocent people. Sleepless nights loom in the face of the catastrophes that the media deliver to us „free of charge” every day. When I met with Dr. Schwab to discuss the topic for our project with the students in 2022, he said, „Ladybugs…” I have known him long enough that I always take him seriously. When such a small insect landed on his hand, he said, he realized how easy it is to overlook the small happinesses along our life’s path in our media catastrophism. When I brought this idea to the group of students, a passionate discourse ensued about whether we should now move into hit parade territory. The waves were running high. Gradually, however, more and more ideas came together that were not only very individual but also authentic, because each participant wanted to define a credible position of his or her own with a personal experience, far enough away from the thoughts of the others. The medium of painting stands apart from the photographic split-second and can more easily lay claim to generality through its degrees of abstraction. At the very least, however, the painting does not assert its supposed objectivity, but reveals itself to be a personal statement by a human being, an assertion that is meant to be examined and that can also be contradicted. We are really excited about the reactions that the pictures will trigger this year! But we are sure that the very possibility of breaking out into the other world of the mind and spirit is not only a small happiness, but a great one…” (Josef Mittlmeier)
“As great as the consternation about some events is, so great must be our determination not to let this consternation gain the upper hand over our striving, feeling, and thinking. Only if we can also enjoy even supposedly small happiness (like a ladybug) do we always draw strength to drive the necessary improvements in the world. This applies to art, to technical issues, but also to all areas of society globally.” (Dr. Georg Schwab)
Copyrights are with the authors
Laura Pritschet: “Glasshouse“
2022, 100 x 140 cm, oil on canvas
The greenhouse is a closed space and although we can see inside, the inside separates from the outside. Nature finds permanence and silence in the protection of the glass house. Perhaps a moment of happiness shows itself to us there, perhaps we can carry it outside?
Alexandra Blon: “His own kingdom“
2022, 100 x 140 cm, oil on canvas
In his garden he is free and can design his realm according to his own gusto. Here is his resting place when it gets too noisy around him. Regardless of all the construction around him, everything runs in its own rhythm.
Sofia Seidl: “lagom“
2022, 100 x 140 cm, acrylic on canvas
The Swedish word "lagom" has no literal translation in German. It describes a perfect balance, not too much and not too little, just the right amount of something, the ideal middle ground. The picture bears this title because it shows a moment of perfect balance. The temperature is pleasant, there is warm sunlight and cool shade. A few people are playing in a good mood and are absorbed in themselves and the surrounding nature. Just as such a moment cannot be constructed, it is never permanent. This small happiness of balance can appear unexpectedly and passes as quickly as the blink of an eye.
Annabel Ziegler: “Ray of Light“
2022, 100 x 140 cm, acrylic on canvas
A woman, alone in a light-filled room with the last warm rays of the setting sun. Her gaze goes into the inner world, thoughts, and dreams.
Verena Fuchs: “Hammockland“
2022, 100 x 140 cm, acrylic on canvas
People in their hammocks, in retreat from everyday life. There is a break from life. Time stands still. No expectations, only peace.
Clara Heigl: “Time bubble“
2022, 100 x 140 cm, acrylic on canvas
The little happiness is a fragile bubble, a moment of the dazzling beauty of existence along with the melancholy of inevitable finitude.
Vera Kärcher: “Stair growth“
2022, 100 x 140 cm, acrylic on canvas
Linger in a happy moment and enjoy it to the fullest. This ability seems banal, but it is often lost to us in our hectic times. Utopian expectations lead to transfiguring memories and what lies in between is difficult to grasp. Our projections manipulate present experiences. What remains is the eternal lurking around an idea of the perfect moment. This is just as surreal as this image.
Carina Schröder: “Tête-à-Tête“
2022, 100 x 140 cm, oil on canvas
In every moment of an animal observation lies an experience of fascination. The game camera brings it to the infrared light: the animals meet in the protection of the night for loving togetherness. The viewer becomes a secret observer. For once, he is not the hunter.
Eliska Strnadova: “On the river“
2022, 100 x 140 cm, oil on canvas
Sometimes I am overcome by the desire to lose myself in the world of nature and refresh the eyes, just like a river that holds the feet in a cold embrace. Because in the water, which is always the same and new through every moment, we experience eternity. The water has no shadows of the past, no shadows of the future, only present. Time does not exist on the river. All worries flow away with the water. The people depicted at this moment have no distant goals, no immediate intentions. I dare to claim that a person can experience the small happiness just in this short-lived inner liberation. Now imagine that you can share this feeling with your beloved without losing a single word …
Nina Dobner: “free“
2022, 100 x 140 cm, acrylic on canvas
“The more freely you breathe, the more you live.” – Theodor Fontane Being detached from all the conventions that existence imposes on us in our society is a precious moment. Without orders, without deadlines and without clothes, we experience freedom and self-determination. If the danger threatens that the thought of the "before" and the "after" robs us of the joy of the moment, then this helps: take a deep breath and take in the moment …
Stefan Tiefel: “Encounter“
2022, 100 x 140 cm, acrylic on canvas
A work comes to life in the experience of the viewer. The painting steps beyond the frame, in the perception the portrait and the viewer merge.
Melissa Faltermeier: “Outlook“
2022, 100 x 140 cm, acrylic on canvas
Outside the window, the drama of reality, a storm is brewing. We are at the mercy of the physics of the universe. The screens disperse us with the surrogates of our longing. The couch, the familiar place in between, is that the place of small happiness?
Tim Pfeil: “First contact“
2022, 100 x 140 cm, acrylic and gouache on canvas
Oh strangers! Man in the 21st century can no longer live out his urge to discover geographically; on land, every square meter is mapped. Deep sea and outer space remain the preserve of the few whose means and abilities are sufficient. Books, video games and movies create the illusion of discovery, but a crucial aspect is missing: almost everything we experience there is predetermined. The dangers and possibilities of the unknown do not exist there. Where can we average people still explore unknown worlds, how can we still experience unpredictable possibilities? The happiness of discovery that remains for us is found in the people who are still strangers to us.