© Elsa Okazaki
Maria Walcher works as a freelance artist and teaches in the sculpture department of the Mozarteum University. She studied Public Art and New Artistic Strategies at the Bauhaus University Weimar as well as at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. In her site-specific installations, transdisciplinary collaborations or performative settings and objects she often addresses socio-political issues.
For Maria Walcher, art is a medium of communication that makes it possible to address sensitive topics and stimulate discussions. Transdisciplinary collaborations, performative settings, site-specific installations and interventions in public space play an important role here. Her works have been shown at Charlama Depot, Sarajevo (2011), SOMA, Mexico City (2013), Kunstfest Weimar (2014), Quartar Contemporary Art Initiatives, The Hague (2014) and the Maxim Gorki Theater, Berlin (2015), among others. Prizes and grants such as the Benno Barth Award 2016 or the Paul Flora Prize 2021 enable her to let her ideas run free. Maria Walcher is internationally networked through her studies, research stays and artist-in-residence programs that have taken her to Brazil, Mexico, California and New York, among other places.
Training
2012-2014 Bauhaus University Weimar, MFA: Public Art and New Artistic Strategies (Prof. Danica Dakić) 2004-2010 University of Applied Arts, Vienna. art and communicative practice; Design, Architecture and Environment for Art Educators; Textile-free, applied and experimental design (Prof. Barbara Putz-Plecko & Prof. James Skone) 2007/08 Faculdade de Belas Artes, Lisbon. fine arts (Prof Angela Ferreira)
teaching activity
2020 - Senior Artist: Functional assistant art practice in the field of sculpture. Department of Fine Arts and Design (Innsbruck location), University Mozarteum Salzburg
Awards & Scholarships
2022 RLB-Förderpreis (A) 2021 Paul Flora Prize (A/IT) 2021 1st place: Art in the building competition “Silvius-Magnago-Platz Feldthurns” (IT) 2021 1st place: Premio in Sesto, San Vito al Tagliamento ( IT) 2016 benno barth award 2016 (IT) 2022 work grant from the city of Innsbruck (A) 2021 work grant from the state of Tyrol (A) 2021 Project funding from BMUKK (A) 2020/21: Art purchases: State of Tyrol, City of Innsbruck, Klocker Foundation, Autonomous Province of Bozen, City of Brixen (A/IT) 2015 stadt_potentiale 2015, Innsbruck (A) 2015 Funding studio: Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen, Tiroler Künstlerschaft, Innsbruck (A) 2021-12 continuous Artist funding for various projects, Auton. prov. Bolzano South Tyrol (IT) 2015 Publication funding of the South Tyrolean Artists' Association" (IT) 2014 Artist funding, Becas de circulación nacional e internacional para artistas y agentes de las artes visuals (CO) 2014 Kreativfonds & Fund for the advancement of women, Bauhaus Univ. Weimar (DE) 2014 TKI open 14, Innsbruck (A) 2013 grant, SOMA Summer Program, Mexico City (MX) 2010 work and research grant from the University of Applied Arts Vienna
Site-Specific Projects
2022 "Jacques", participatory installation, Tirol Panorama, Innsbruck (A) 2022 "Play", sculpture, Brandisweg, Lana (IT) 2022 "Tocca a te", installation/sculpture in public space, San Vito al Tagliamento (IT) 2021 "Ohm", installation in an open area, Ropferhof, Buchen near Telfs (A) 2021 "double u", installation, Franzensfeste (IT) 2019 "Steig", installation, Raiffeisen Eisacktal, Brixen/Bressanone (IT) 2018 "Lethe", Installation/performance, Lorenzerhof nursing home, Lana, and Bruneck hospital (IT) 2018 "querSCHNITT", mobile tailoring/participative hiking project, (IT/A) 2018 "Fuge", installation/performance (performance: Katharina Schwärzer), Bruneck city museum (IT ) 2017 "A Room of One's Own", installation, Karthaus (IT) 2017 "Lethe", installation/performance, Domplatz Innsbruck (A) 2016 "Agatha", installation, LanaLive "The Settlers", Lana (IT) 2015 "against violence and proud of it, 16 days against violence against women, Innsbruck (A) 2014 "TRASITE", Kunstfest Weimar 2014, Weimar (D E) 2013 "2014", Weimar (DE) 2013 "Staklena Banka Collection", site-specific intervention, "CITY LAB Mostar" Mostar (BiH) 2011-12 "I PACK MY BAG 1/2", participatory walking project, 1: Vienna, Munich, Zurich, Istanbul; 2: South Tyrol (IT); Finissage: Galerie Prisma, Bolzano (IT)
solo exhibitions
2021 "GO GO GO", Palazzo Altan, SanVito al Tagliamento (IT) 2019 "You will become something big", Raiffeisen Eisacktal, Brixen/Bressanone (IT) 2017 "In the next room", Gallery Km0, Innsbruck (A) 2014 "Strategies of Escaping", Le Carceri Prison Gallery, Caldaro (IT)
group exhibitions
2023 "Ecologies of care, art pavilion, Innsbruck (A) 2022 "In March 2020...", Klocker Museum, Hall (A) 2022 "DENKMAL_weiter", Tirol Panorama, Innsbruck (A) 2022 "umsichten" gallery A4, Innsbruck ( A) 2021 "Objets perdus", Ferdinandeum, Innsbruck (A) 2021 "ART IS. 25 Years Art Meran", Art Meran, Meran (IT) 2021 "overgrown", inside out, Ropferhof, Buchen bei Telfs (A) 2021 "50x50x50", Franzens Festung (IT) 2020 "Palinsesti", San Vito al Tagliamento (IT) 2020 "Art purchases by the city of Innsbruck" Galerie Platform 6020, Innsbruck (A) 2020 "CONVERGENCE", art pavilion & Neue Galerie Innsbruck (A) 2020 "ReStart", Kunsthalle West, Lana (IT) 2020 "unlearning categories" Museion Bozen (IT) 2020 "KOPFhoch", Kunst Meran (IT) 2020 "#artigathome", South Tyrolean Artists Association, online & Galerie Prisma, Bozen 2019 "Beauty Case_Preserving the beauty of creation", Hofburg Brixen (IT) 2019 "BIVACCO", San Servolo, Venice (IT) 2019 "New Tradition", BINA - Belgrade international Architecture Week (SRB) 2018 "Made in Büchsenhausen”, Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen (A) 2018 “Paths to Art”, Brunico City Museum (IT) 2018 “Book(T)rooms”, City Gallery Brixen (IT) 2017 “Culture is a Rule”, Art in the Kartause, Karthaus (IT ) 2016 "Garden, 70 years of the South Tyrolean Artists Association", Hofburg, Brixen (IT) 2015 "red thread - textile force", Galerie Freihausgasse, Villach (A) 2015 "2. Berliner Herbstsalon”, Maxim Gorki Theater, Berlin (DE) 2015 “Open House”, Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen, Innsbruck (A) 2014 “Relations in Form”, Quartar Contemporary Art Initiatives, The Hague (NE) 2014 “We are not Sisi”, Vondelbunker, Amsterdam (NE) 2014 "Dwelling Dimora Ncësa", Nubla de Tives, Selva, (IT) 2014 "ARCHE. A Fortress for Animals”, Franzensfeste/Fortezza (IT) 2013 “What Can I Not Know About You”, Galerjia ALU, Sarajevo (BiH) 2012 “(UN)Disciplined Body”, SED party school, Erfurt (DE) 2012 “The Fabric", Maximiliansforum Munich (DE) 2011 "ornaMental structures", Charlama Depot, Sarajevo (BiH) 2009 "As it had been and how it will be", Istanbul (TR)
residencies
2016 16th Art Symposium: eu-art-network: “Vanishing Point Europe”, Cselley-Mühle, Oslip (A) 2016 Paliano, Artists in Residence, studio house of the Austrian federal states in Paliano (A/IT) 2013 SOMA Summer “The Re- performance of History”, Mexico City (MX)
Workshops & congresses/symposia/artist talk
2021 "Art Science Circle Gurgl", Karat Obergurgl (A) 2019 "Welcoming the foreign: The future of an illusion or an illusion of the past?" Lecture series: "Imaginary Bauhaus", Bauhaus Museum Weimar (DE) 2018 "On the move ”, Artist talk: “La Mia Scuola di Architettura*9”, ar//ge Kunst Bozen (IT) 2014 “IBK Dys U Topia”, workshop: realization of art projects in public space with young people, Innsbruck (A) 2013 “Bordercity : San Diego/Tijuana”, interdisciplinary exchange organized by Teddy Cruz, UCSD San Diego, California 2013 "Former West: Documents, Constellations, Prospects", Berlin, Congress organ. by HKW Berlin and BAK, basis for current art Utrecht
publications
2020 “Maria Walcher. Auf Wanderschaft”, self-published 2019 “unterwegs / on the move. Maria Walcher”, self-published 2017 “LETHE”, self-published 2014 “Strategies of Escaping”, Cain Press, Toquica, Bogota (CO) 2014 “Trasite”, self-published And contributions to numerous exhibition catalogs and publications.
