Astrid Esslinger

The Austrian artist Astrid Esslinger presents a compilation of her work from 2003 to the present day with this volume. She has worked as a freelance artist since 1987. Until then she participated in artistic projects of the Linz artist collective Stadtwerkstatt. Her work can be divided into three parallel phases: her early pieces with textile materials and her later paintings with acrylic colors on canvas as well as pieces using an original technique developed for her work while on journeys, cut outs.

The text contribution by Birgit Rinagl concentrates on Esslinger’s paintings which explore the themes of men and women, public and private, work and free time, nature and city as well as life and death. Tom Waibel discusses the subversive character of her hand luggage productions and brings light to their dark and ironic side. The introduction by Fina Esslinger, an art historian and the daughter of the artist, gives the reader the necessary background knowledge on motifs and the theoretical framework of the works, encouraging the reader to enjoy Esslinger’s artistic output.