This work is part of the multi-year artistic research project Mapping Painting, which pursues the question of where the colours, pigments and binding agents in a painting come from. Their origins tell us a lot about (colonial) trade relations and innovations. They generally also represent a map of the world, both in a historical and contemporary context. In Styria, Johanna Kandl focuses on the Erzberg – the open-pit mine that ensured prosperity in the region for centuries. Mining has changed greatly in the last few decades and has mainly shifted to non-European countries. Only a few people now remain working on site. Kandl links social history with a cultural history of painting. Iron oxide pigments include ochre, red and black pigments.
Eisen immerdar, 2020
Johanna Kandl
