Alfred Haberpointner

Alfred Haberpointner is Austrian. He lives and works in Salzburg. After having finished the Technical School of Sculpture in Hallein in Salzburg, Alfred Haberpointner studied from 1986 to 1991 at the University of Art in Linz with Prof. Erwin Reiter. Wood as a material is the major element in his work. Alongside his sculptures, he focuses on solid wooden plates that he cuts, burns, saws and then bleaches and re-pigments. He blows and breaks the surface with a chainsaw and an axe, fixes the fibers of the material creating a texture, rhythm and intensity. The surface of these panels is determined to enter the light and color. Division and fragmentation of wood reflects the effect of shadows. Artists like Brancusi, Klee, Mondrian and others who have worked on the theme of 'traces' like Jean Dubuffet, Antonio Tapies and Twombly, have influenced his concept of 'writing' and its rejection of the great coherent form. Looking at the surface of his works, it is clear that our view and our sense of touch are complementary : the visual perception is influenced by our tactile experiences.