Main artist

Patrick Obkircher

An imposing bronze mask on an iron base: Patrick Obkircher’s work To Be plays with the symbol’s double meaning – to hide, or to show oneself authentically. Not a self-portrait, but a play of inner and outer worlds; an invitation to encounter oneself.
When Patrick works, he enters into dialogue – with the clay, the plaster, the emerging form. Planning is hard; much only reveals itself through the process itself. He listens, following intuition rather than logic. What interests him is essence, in form and in people. For him, humanity ends with dishonesty.
Last year, modelling a torso in a course, he became sleepless and unwell – the piece was technically beautiful, yet empty. One night he allowed himself the thought of destroying it. The next morning he pressed it back into clay, and felt well again.
Trained in Gröden, the young sculptor from Welschnofen describes himself as quiet, introverted, still searching. For the Triennale, he hopes visitors will find food for thought – a chance to discover something about themselves, to be touched.

“WHAT MATTERS TO ME ISN’T MAKING A BEAUTIFUL SCULPTURE. BUT ONE WITH DEPTH”

About the artist and his work

Biography

Patrick Obkircher | *2001 in Bozen, lives in Welschnofen
Patrick Obkircher learned his craft in Gröden: at the Provincial Vocational School for Artistic Craftsmanship in St. Ulrich, then in the specialisation course for wood sculptors, including a summer at the Val Gardena Academy, where he studied with Aron Demetz, among others. Since 2021 he has worked as a freelance artist. When Patrick works, he does not plan - he listens to the clay, the plaster, and the form that is coming into being. What interests him is the essence – in people as much as in form. He approaches the people he encounters without prejudice, and where dishonesty begins, humanity ends for him. Patrick describes himself as quiet, introverted, in a phase of self-discovery. To work he needs quiet – a workshop he can withdraw into and, as a counterpole, nature, where he recharges and lets his thoughts wander. He feels most alive when he knows he is honestly following his own path.

Work description

“To be”

An imposing bronze mask on an iron base. What began as a small clay model and the idea of a self-portrait culminates in a monumental mask – not a classical self-portrait, but a question of inner and outer. The process of casting the sculpture in bronze is a play between positive and negative forms: from the original model in polystyrene, the foundry takes a negative mould, from which a positive emerges in wax, which Patrick reworks one last time. The wax is encased in a solid mould and fired – in the process it melts and runs out, leaving a cavity into which the molten bronze is poured. Finally the mould is knocked off, the surface cleaned and, with chemicals and fire, the patina is applied that gives it its colour.
This interplay between concealment and revelation lies at the heart of the work: Being takes up the Triennale's theme 'Being Human' – mere existence and, at the same time, the question of who one really is. Patrick is not concerned with beautiful form, but with the depth behind it. And so the mask becomes an invitation to encounter oneself and to let oneself be touched.

www.patrick-obkircher.com

Artwork location

“To be”

Kreuzgang der Kapuzinerkirche, beim Stadtmuseum, Frag 1
Access: Entrance to the main portal of the cloister: 9.00–18.00 Uhr

Map Triennale Klausen

The five main artists & the Triennale Klausen

Florian Tschurtschenthaler

Florian Tschurtschenthaler is one of the five main artists featured in the Klausen Triennial.

“The greatest human strength? Doing the right thing, even if you’re the only one.”

The young artist from Sexten/Sesto loves working with wood.

More about the artist

Bernhard Reiterer

Bernhard Reiterer is one of the five main artists featured in the Klausen Triennial.

“COLOURS ARE VISIBLE VIBRATIONS.”

With his artwork ‘The Inner Glow’, the master painter from Merano brings human encounters to life.

About the artist

Christian Gufler

Christian Gufler is one of the five main artists featured in the Klausen Triennial.

“When I photograph, I look for the spark in the eyes – for me, that is life.”

The artist from Lana photographed 30 people in his studio for his work. He was inspired to create this work when he stood still in the middle of a bustling square in Rome, amidst the hustle and bustle, and watched as people passed him by.

More about the artist

Lukas Mayr

Lukas Mayr is one of the five main artists featured in the Klausen Triennial.

“La frequenza che sostiene è sempre presente. La domanda è solo se ci muoviamo al suo interno.”

The artist, who lives in Brixen, explores the question of what drives every human being to create something lasting. He calls this ‘microculture’. For his work ‘Philosopher’s Stone’, he has extracted a huge stone colossus from the depths of the earth and carved it.

More about the artist

BEING HUMAN

Triennale Klausen

13.06. - 07.11.2026

From 13 June to 7 November, the Klausen Triennale brings contemporary art to the artists’ town. Every three years, Klausen/Chiusa becomes a meeting place for artists and visitors. Exhibitions, installations and artistic positions open up new perspectives on the town, space and the present.

Find out more