Greta Schödl
TRACES OF MY LIFE
23.05.2026 – 08.11.2026
Greta Schödl (b. 1929) is regarded as one of the most remarkable voices working in the genre of visual poetry. In her works, the artist writes directly onto a wide variety of materials. The font is her primary means of expression. Through meticulous repetition, she transforms words into ornamental patterns that alternate between legible script and abstract form. Rhythmic, meditative image structures unfold.
THE POWER OF VISUAL POETRY
Since the 1960s, Greta Schödl has cultivated a distinctive visual language in which written characters, lines, and calligraphic forms serve as central elements. Since her acclaimed participation in the 2024 Venice Biennale, the artist’s work has attracted greater public interest.
Her works—on paper, wood, canvas, textile, stone, or everyday objects—are imbued with a profound sense of rhythm, order, and stillness. Material names often serve as starting points: for instance, she covers a block of marble with the Italian word “marmo” (marble), writing it repeatedly across the surface. Through this steady, quasi-meditative repetition, the letters gradually detach from their literal meaning.
Schödl typically places small golden dots in the open spaces of vowels, introducing subtle impulses of light that give the patterns a vibrant depth. She also regards her own body as a source of signs: thumbprints, palm lines, the imprint of her breast or lips—all of these serve the artist as characters.
FIRST MUSEUM EXHIBITION IN AUSTRIA
Schödl’s oeuvre transcends the boundaries between poetry, painting, and conceptual art. In 2026, the artist celebrated her first museum exhibition in Austria at the Landesgalerie Niederösterreich, marking an important milestone in her career.
Raised in Hollabrunn, Greta Schödl moved to Bologna in the late 1950s, making Italy her home. After completing her studies in textile design at the Academy of Applied Arts in Vienna, Schödl initially created abstract works in which delicately rendered lines serve as the central formal element.
My work is entirely inspired by the flow of life — an endless stream of thoughts. I remain the same, but my experiences leave new traces. My work is a reflection of my life experiences.
PERFORMANCE AND GRAPHICS
For her performance “Tubo”, Schödl walked through Bologna carrying an artfully crafted cardboard tube. This action can be read as a powerful act of self-assertion.
In addition to numerous graphic series such as “Schwingungsfelder” and “Vibrationi”, in which invisible energetic cycles are made visible, Schödl has also created a number of objects.
The exhibition brings together all the major groups of her oeuvre and presents the extensive, highly personal “Traumbilder” series for the first time.
Curators: Gerda Ridler and Berthold Ecker