Zeller van Almsick

The group of works “GlassPhone” begun in 2014; a simple, glass object readable solely through its form as a smartphone, and Hornig stages it accordingly as an applied sculpture. Digital photographs and videos show omnipresent situations: Women and men hold the fictitious device in their hands, stretch it out to take a photo, look at the supposed screen, swipe their fingers across the transparent surface, scroll through an invisible feed or type a message. By throwing back the symbol of digital space, limitless communication, infinite information to its purely material form, Hornig makes the paradoxical cultural elevation visible. Only at the moment of use does it transfer the surrounding reality into a virtual illusion of the same, thus becoming a mirror of countless, varying realities. The transparency of the “GlassPhone” refers to the actual function of the smartphone as a transmitter of information and translator between the worlds.

During his studies at the HfBK Dresden mainly active as a painter, Tilman Hornig’s (*1980) work today is characterized by a strong medial diversity, the constant interweaving with contemporary phenomena, and thus also digital image worlds. The further development and deepening of motifs in ongoing groups of works are based on a conceptual approach, which, however, manages without pathos or claim to truth due to the free, almost playful implementation in different scenarios and formats. His work has been exhibited in Germany, Austria, Denmark, Spain, and the USA. Tilman Hornig collaborates with other two projects, New Scenario, and DRONE OPERATØR.

Zeller van Almsick is a gallery based in Vienna committed to an upcoming generation of Austria-based artists, aiming to introduce younger positions to the cultural sector and the art market. Through the initially nomadic projects in various cities and venues, and since 2017 in our own gallery space, Zeller van Almsick has had the chance to work and intensify the collaborations with artists, curators, and collectors, expanding our network to an international art circuit. The gallery supports spatial explorations as a central feature in their projects, focusing on painting and its expanded qualities.