Galerie Zacke is delighted to offer an exclusive limited edition of bronze sculptures by the Austrian contemporary artist Mario Dalpra (born 1960). The first sculpture, "Bodhi Tree and Me I," boasts a striking red chrome-coated exterior and gold patination, while its counterpart, "Bodhi Tree and Me II," features a blend of silver and gold patination. Both sculptures, crafted from bronze in 2023, stand at a height of 43 cm and a length of 41.5 cm. Each version of the sculpture is part of a limited edition of 15. Available for purchase at EUR 6,780 each, inclusive of 13% VAT.
Mario Dalpra (born 1960) embarked on his journey into the artistic world at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, guided by the renowned Austrian painter Arnulf Rainer, celebrated for his abstract informal art. Since the 1980s, Dalpra has been actively engaged in creating and exhibiting his diverse artistic portfolio worldwide. Presently, his primary artistic focus centers on sculpture, particularly in crafting brilliantly polished, colorful bronzes distinguished by their unique style. Influenced greatly by the vibrant colors and diverse forms found in Far Eastern cultures, encountered during his sojourn in Asia, Dalpra's body of work vividly reflects this fascination. Noteworthy accomplishments include the selection of one of his sculptures for the official poster of the Vienna Opera Ball in 2014, as well as the inclusion of three of his sculptures on the deck of the Harmony of the Seas, recognized as the world's largest cruise ship during its construction phase.
1981-1982: Attends the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, studying under Arnulf Rainer.
1984-2002: Embarks on extensive travels across Italy, Spain, North Africa, France, Indonesia, Australia, Brazil, and India, gathering inspiration and honing his artistic skills.
1988: Begins wooden sculpture work in Ubud, Indonesia, marking a significant shift in his artistic expression.
2006-2008: Explores bronze sculpture work, expanding his repertoire and exhibiting internationally.
2009-2011: Creation of high-gloss sculptures while experimenting with surface techniques and exhibiting his evolving body of work globally.
2012-2014: Museum Angerlehner in Austria acquires 3 large sculptures. Dalpra develops first relief paintings, cast in bronze, exhibiting in prestigious galleries in London, Austria, and beyond.
2015-2016: Showcases work in prominent art events in Miami, London, and Austria while completing significant commissions for large sculptures for the world’s largest passenger cruise ship, ‘Harmony of the Seas’
2017-2023: Presents sculptures and paintings in a series of exhibitions across Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, cementing his presence in the international art scene with solo shows and group exhibitions.
2024: Galerie Zacke proudly offers 2 limited edition sculptures.
globetrotter between cultures, styles and techniques
as a painter (he studied with arnulf rainer in vienna), sculptor, draughtsman, musician, film and performance artist, he permanently proves his versatile talent, can refer to innumerable exhibitions in europe, the usa, latin america, australia and asia and a no less respectable series of catalogues and publications, which prove the wide-ranging radius of action of the risk-taking, vital art globetrotter around the world: the vorarlberg artist, who was born in feldkirch in 1960 and has been living in vienna for decades, draws on the full spectrum. despite all the calculations involved, for mario dalpra art is a source of pleasure, an ever-challenging sensual affair who’s universally utilized craftsmanship should not be underestimated. what succeeds gives satisfaction and, just like some slips or missteps, encourages one to dare the unusual and, thanks to one’s own efforts, to rediscover many a grain of sand in this world. what is expected of the modern viewer, namely openness and curiosity, the artist, who is interested in change and experimentation and is as vital as he is sensitive, brings with him sufficiently. accepting the risk involved, he has from the beginning tested step by step the viability of a multicultural, unifying conception and attitude to life. today, it constitutes dalpra’s artistic identity. instead of putting his hands in his lap and waiting for a stroke of genius, mario dalpra works a lot and persistently. the fact that he likes to do this lies in his nature, in his understanding of craft, and is certainly not a disadvantage. in this way, his artistic rides, trials, and sustained retreats have added up to a resilient arsenal of complementary, coherent visual realizations. one clearly senses the pleasure of working, the sounding out of terrain that has not yet been clarified and the intensive occupation with groups of works, which of course are only kept at and polished as long as their artistic challenges do not run the risk of solidifying into routine and perfection. equally well versed in art and the world, mario dalpra can today refer to a large, broadly diversified oeuvre that ranges within the classical disciplines from sketches and small drawings to paintings of all sizes to sculpture and its new focal points that characterize the entire oeuvre. the artist’s thematic range and approaches to content are large. they are based in the versatile work process on a compendium of craft skills, techniques and composition-determining formal ideas that are always used with the necessary looseness and a great deal of variety. humor and irony are well scattered and only rarely exploited at first go. without them, mario dalpra’s new sculptures would lack the formal and textual ambiguity that distinguishes them in their attractive mix of styles. cast in bronze in indonesia, painted and polished to a high degree of perfection, they reflect an entirely contemporary symbiosis of pop art, smoothed neo-expressionism, minimalist classicism (arp, hepworth, gironcoli), jeff koons, modern emblematic, internet stylistics and the japanese “pokemons”, those small colorful collectible figures for children, in which one can also see a highly successful parody of the modern art market and some of its special products, beyond their actual purpose. dalpra’s feigned superficial beauty of brightly colored plastic material in fashionable outfits corresponds with the cultural background of its author, who was decisively influenced by long stays in australia, indonesia and india, in an astonishing use of space in his floor and base sculptures. (peter baum)
