Das Gewicht der Farbe

Artist monograph

The subject of this project was the creation of an artist catalog for Michael Ornauer — a contemporary artist known for his masterful use of color, layered compositions, and the balance between experimentation and technique — that serves as a comprehensive and visually refined promotional tool, documenting the artist’s body of work. The catalog is intended to be ready for production and meet professional standards. It is designed for a broad audience: collectors, museums, galleries, curators, art critics, and individuals interested in contemporary art.

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The concept was developed based on the visual and textual materials provided by the artist. Alongside images of his paintings and exhibitions, the publication includes photographs from the studio, interview excerpts, and selected texts from Ornauer’s earlier publication Die Notizen (2016–2022), released in 2024 by Verlag für moderne Kunst in Vienna.

The book is structured around two main sections: painting series and exhibitions. To create a more dynamic and surprising experience, each of these sections is interspersed with texts, interviews, and fragments from Notizen, resulting in a fluid narrative that weaves between image and word.

Design follows a unique structure. It begins traditionally with a half title page, full title page, and table of contents. However, there is no classical division into chapters. Instead, the content is divided into painting series and exhibitions.

Each series opens with a double-page title spread, marked by a characteristic motif. Between the images of paintings, excerpts from the artist’s diary Notizen are inserted, adding an element of surprise and intimacy. Each exhibition starts with a brief description, accompanied by a visual element taken from one of the featured artworks — adding both a unique character and a playful touch. Series and exhibitions are further interwoven with interviews, which also contain visual elements drawn from preceding artworks. The book ends with a traditional appendix, including the artist’s biography and publishing credits.

» The final result is a publication that not only documents the artist’s work but also captures its essence — full of contrasts, ambiguities, and moments of surprise. This is not merely a catalogue — it is a visual narrative about art, the creative process, and a man who consciously balances form and content, experimentation and structure. «


Das gewicht der farbe

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