Greta Schödl: Street Poetry
Phileas, Opernring 17, Vienna
29 January – 26 April 2025
Greta Schödl, installation view at 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere, 2024. Photo: Marco Zorzanello
Photo: Giovanni Bortolani
Our first exhibition of the year 2025 will offer an overview of the work of Austrian artist Greta Schödl (born 1929, Hollabrunn), who remains largely unknown in her home country. Following her studies in Vienna, she emigrated to Italy in 1959 and over the following decades became a prominent figure within the visual poetry movement.
Writing plays is a central role in Schödl’s work and links her to the movement known as Poesia Visiva (‘Visual Poetry’), formed in the 1970s by the artist and poet Mirella Bentivoglio, a friend of Schödl with whom she frequently collaborated. In her art making, Schödl uses a variety of materials, such as stone, paper, or everyday found objects, systematically overlaying them with handwritten words. The emphasis is less on the content and meaning of the writing itself, and more on the visual appearance of the text. Gold accents are used to accentuate the rhythm and pattern of the linework. Writing is liberated from its original function and instead develops an independence, revealing the interplay between language and image.
The exhibition will trace Schödl's artistic journey from the 1950s to the present day. In 2024, her work was included in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale (Stranieri Ovunque - Foreigners Everywhere), curated by Adriano Pedrosa and supported by Phileas.
In collaboration with Richard Saltoun Gallery.
Opening hours at Opernring 17, Vienna
Tuesday - Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 3pm
& by appointment