With the eyes in the sky
by Francesco Butturini

Two images come to mind when I think of Josef Kostner’s works: his slight, yet penetrating grin and the landscape that seems to be born of that grin. They are two apparently distant existential facts, which are actually deeply permeated with each other, because in order to understand his sculpture and graphic art, you have to understand the time and situation in which the sculpture and graphic art where created.
They seem to be the fruit of desperation, or of a dark vision of the world, pervaded with hostile mysteries, deformed shapes that have emerged from their inner selves, fears and anxieties.
But none of this is true.
Kostner’s sculpture and graphic art are the fruit of a knowing vision of the world and life, of a subtle and ironic attention that acknowledges the roughness of everyday existence and life. They are not expressions of the fear of it and do not turn daily life away, with its anxieties, expectations, pain and joy. They accept everything with the wisdom of time and memory, which cancels nothing and mitigates everything.

Exhibitions:

1960   Galleria Ruscel, Ortisei
1965   Galleria Goethe, Bolzano
          Galleria Selene, Cortina d`Ampezzo
1968   Galleria Domenicani, Bolzano
          Galleria Ruscel, Ortisei
1974   Mostra d`Ert, Ortisei
1981   Galleria Willi, Vilpian
1983   Galleria Domenicani, Bolzano
1994   Galleria Prisma, Bolzano
           Itituto Culturale Micurà de Rü, S. Martino Badia
1995   Galleria Ghelfi, Verona
1996   Albergo Tirol, Val di Funes
1999   Museo Statale, Chiusa
2000   Galleria Prisma, Bolzano
          Tiroler Kunstpavillion, Innsbruck
          Galleria am Gries, Lana
2001   Galleria Volksbank, Merano
2002   Kaiserliche Hofburg, Innsbruck
          Galerie im Kies, Altach – Feldkirch
2005   Museo Gipsoteca Canova, Possagno (Ala Nuova e Parco)
2008   Atelier im Kärrnerwaldele, Landeck
2009   Digart, Ortisei
2010   Circolo Artistico, Ortisei
          Presentazione della monografia Digart,Ortisei
          Galeria Prisma, Bolzano “Lebenswege”
          Mostra scultorea Pasqua a Campo di Brenzone sul Garda
          Galeria Ghelfi, Verona
2011   Labyrinthgarten Kränzelhof, Tscherms “Moti dell’anima”
          Ragenhaus, Bruneck “Köpfe und sture Köpfe”
          Natale a Campo di Brenzone sul Garda
2012   Galerie Maier Innsbruck “Primitivismus und Moderne”
          Galerie Maier Innsbruck „Josef Kostner Skulpturen“
          Galerie Pizzinini S. Kassian “L’ëila,cuer y ana”
          Kunst Meran Fußgängerzone Meran Homage an Josef Kostner
          Natale a Campo di Brenzone sul Garda
2013   Fussgängerzone St. Ulrich zum 80. Geburtstag
          Galerie Maier Innsbruck zum 80. Geburtstag
2015   Galleria Spazio 6 Verona
2016   Hotel La Perla Corvara Badia
2018   Südtiroler Künstlerbund Retrospektive
2018   Circolo culturale Ortisei Josef Kostner “Peccati”
2018   Albergo Posta Marcucci Bagno Vignoni Toscana
2019/20 Isera/Rovereto Palast de Probizer