Philipp Fürhofer

Philipp Fürhofer has made a name for himself not only as a visual artist but also as a stage designer. In the art scene he is primarily known for his light-boxes, see-through containers that are painted on the front, coated with a film, and with found objects contained within—a virtuosic play of painting and materials, the reflected exterior world and transparency, abstraction and figuration, and two- and three-dimensionality. When his box-images are also illuminated, they offer a view of a space beyond the surface—in a manner similar to his opera sets: “Both function like the classical peep box; one looks at a spectacle from the front, an illusion that is never intended to convey „reality“ but instead merely a representation and an invention,” explains the artist. “I think a lot about how I can configure my boxes to a greater dramatic effect, perhaps as walk-through installations. Maybe as a way to bring more things to painting that can be experienced in a performative and collective manner.”

For Edition Hatje Cantz, Philipp Fürhofer has created a hand-signed and numbered acrylic slipcase exclusively for his Hatje Cantz publication Diasphere. Each edition is laminated with a mirrored film and has handpainted details—so each work is an original piece of art!