"Ral 9006, #1 (ein Jahr danach)"

c-print on aluminum Dibond

signed, titled, dated, numbered (ink) on verso

The title Ral 9006 refers to the colour in which the railing of the Floridsdofer Bridge in Vienna is painted. The artist films himself repainting the bridge railing, while individual padlocks attached to the railing are also painted. Little by little, the locks become denser, the brush movements more hectic, the priorities shift: coping with the sheer number of padlocks a challenge. To make matters worse, the artist has only one hand at his disposal, as he holds the camera with the other.
The locks, which are attached to the bridge railing by young couples as a symbol of the indissolubility of their union (the key is thrown into the river), differ in colour, shape and inscription or engraving. Through the grey lacquer coating, the individual locks are unified and merge with the railing as part of the urban infrastructure.
The photo series Ral 9006 - ein Jahr danach was created almost a year after the intervention. The photos each show a section of two frames of the bridge railing. On some of the locks, the layer of paint has been scratched away so that the original engraving is visible again; in some cases, new locks hang between the greying ones.
(Galerie Projektraum Viktor Bucher, Wien)