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BILLI THANNER

About the artist

 

"Am I an actionist? Yes, I sold art in the sleeping room“.

In fictitious portraits group holders, bank managers, models or sculpturists tell about their work, about society and their womanhood, or, to put it another way: about the art of being a woman in these times.

Intense tableaus and painted narrations around the subject femininity mark Billi Thanner‘s artistic works.

On the face of it they appear to be anachronistic advertisments and a tribute to the archetypes of a commercialised world, showing modern house-wives confidently presenting their new kitchenware.

But concealed by the facade of aesthetic commercials for everyday objects and half naked pin-up girls, Billi Thanner´s subversive comment, irony and airiness are to be found.

My Life My Way – not only a slogan tattooed to her arm. Her self-perception is reflected in her picture subjects.

As a different form of reverse glass painting, the artist presents photo-realistic and unconventional motives on flexible film, using her particular technique of painting.

 

Billi Thanner is among the protagonists of neo-actionism or inter-actionism, a new generation of contemporary actionism. It´s special attraction lies in the freedom, to be in control of one´s own actions as an artist, to cross borders without being arrested or institutionalized.

"I´m tempted by the freedom to decide as an artist: I´ll go through with it. I won´t get arrested for it, it will be defined as art. In no other profession you can find this kind of freedom.“

Presence and tradition of the Viennese Actionism are mixing with Billi Thanner‘s humour.

In the process the interaction with the audience is an essential component.

"You don´t need to die young to earn money as an artist.“

 

 NO AIR - NO ART

In today´s megacities you can get practically anything, but only little fresh air. With the critical art project No Air – No Art, which was first shown in 2014 at the MoCA Museum of Contemporary Art in Beijing and will be presented in 2015 in Shanghai, Billi Thanner calls attention to the urgent worldwide smog-problem. To spread this message, she established the platform "Billi Thanner´s Art Army“.

 

Billi Thanner was born in 1972 and lives and works in Vienna, Austria. Her artworks are internationally present – for instance in Antwerp, Maastricht, Moscow, Basel, Cologne or Paris.

 

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