SAGMEISTER MAKES SCENIC GAISLACHKOGL THE “PEAK OF OPTIMISM”
High art in the high mountains can be admired in the Ötztal Alps from late February 2024: popular design artist and Grammy award winner Stefan Sagmeister is showing his current exhibition “Besser und Besser” / “Better and Better” in Sölden’s ice Q at 3,048 meters above sea level. The New York-based Austrian calls for more optimism by using artistic data visualizations in order to point out the positive facts and figures of our era to all visitors. The artist, who already designed album covers for the Rolling Stones, has many surprisingly positive things to report. From a comparative perspective of the last 200 years, our world has even become better and better.
“In such times of crises, wars and bad news, it is just good to get to know a smart person with a more optimistic view of the world. Sagmeister undisputedly contrasts the constant barrage of 'bad news' with positive facts. He opens up a new perspective that resets our compass towards the essential and recalibrates our view of reality,” states Jakob Falkner, Managing Director of Bergbahnen Sölden. “For our winter sports guests a visit to the exhibition is included in the ticket. The unrivaled motto of this exhibition is: simply take off your skis or board for a short while, wind down for a moment and enjoy art at the highest level in the true sense of the word,” says Philipp Falkner, Authorized Representative of Bergbahnen Sölden. “This ultimate combination of pleasant skiing and art enjoyment is a real added value for all visitors to Ötztal. “Besser und besser” provides skiing guests with revealing insights into the stunning world of Sagmeister and - at the same time - sensational views of the highest peaks in the Ötztal Alps,” explains Oliver Schwarz, Managing Director of Ötztal Tourismus.
“Stefan Sagmeister's images tell stories about human achievements of the last 200 years that have made our world a better place overall. He visualizes all these positive developments as geometric shapes, incorporated into old paintings that come from his great-grandparents' antique shop," explains Julia Sparber-Ablinger, Curator of the "Besser und Besser" exhibition at ice Q in Sölden: "His works testify to immense appreciation for historical art, combined with modern design language. As a curator, it is a true pleasure for me to embed Sagmeister’s outstanding works into a narrative and stage them in such a fabulous way.”
Exposé for “Besser und besser“ exhibition: As an artist and designer, Stefan Sagmeister wants to explore complex topics, unravel essential content and connect it with something that can be understood by a large audience. The aesthetic appreciation of data and the legacy of Western art motifs as well as informative and enjoyable enlightenment are his major concerns. Most of us would rather prefer peace and not war. We would rather like to live in democracies than in dictatorships, and would rather be knowledgeable than ignorant. All of this can be measured and also has been measured over the last 200 years! We have excellent data from very reliable sources that show the following: in the long term, human life has become significantly better in many respects. For example, 200 years ago nine out of ten people could neither read nor write, and today it is only one out of ten. In the 18th century, traveling was reserved to a few aristocrats, but today it is comfortably possible for everyone without any restrictions. The same applies to skiing sports: while in 1950 only around five million people worldwide practiced winter sports, today 15 million Germans and 3 million Austrians go skiing on a regular basis.
Stefan Sagmeister, design artist and Grammy award winner: “Today, tourism and skiing sports are part of a cultural and historical achievement that has enormously contributed to the further development of mankind and humanity.” On 2 April 2024, the gourmet restaurant is hosting an exclusive "Dinner of the Arts at ice Q". Stefan Sagmeister will personally guide guests through the exhibition. Tickets are available at www.soelden.com.
Exhibition “Besser und besser“ by Stefan Sagmeister
ice Q in Sölden
Open daily 9:00 – 16:00
27.02.- 02.04.2024
www.soelden.com
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Ötztal Tourismus
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ANNA PIRCHER
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