Gallery of the Month Austria
Gallery Walker
Enthusiasm for art and artist Although it started out as a backyard gallery in Hermagor in 1988, the Gallery Walker has since grown into a multilateral setting for exciting art and exhibitions. In their work, gallery founder Judith Walker and her daughter Carolin Walker place a specific emphasis on being a strong partner to the artists whose works they display. Through these efforts, they have supported both international art as well as their local scene, which does not need to fear its international competition. TEXT: THOMAS SCHROERS I PHOTOS: GALERIE WALKER
Residing in Ebenau Castle some 17 kilometres from Klagenfurt, the main exhibition space stretches out over more than 800 square metres. After exhibitions in Judith Walker’s family home, the gallery was moved here in 1996. “We have renovated it in small steps,” explains Walker. Nowadays, the castle offers stunning scenery for the presented works and a garden, which becomes an open-air studio for an inspiring dialogue between different artistic point of views.“Especially in the summer we try to attract the culturally aware through special exhibition themes,” says Carolin Walker. 48 | Issue 42 | September 2016
Next to the castle, the Walkers also use a small room in the heart of Klagenfurt. In its simplicity and purity, this second space enables them to curate additional exhibitions that would not work in front of the grandeur of the castle. “Because of its shop-window character, the room is accessible at all times, creating its own unique atmosphere.” The current exhibition in the Ebenau Castle, Cosmos of Animals, is running until mid-September. It will then be replaced by a fascinating display of the Walker’s regulars, such as Bernard Aubertin,
Main image: Ebenau Castle in the rose valley. Top right: Permanent installation at Ebenau castle, Kiki Kogelnik, glass heads. Above: Sculptures by Johann Feilacher in the Ebenau castle garden Bottom: Vernissage with the Italian artist Silvano Rubino, Carolin Walker (left) and Judith Walker (right).
Bruno Gironcoli and Kiki Kogelnik. As a permanent installation, the castle also features Kogelnik’s Venetian Heads, a project that the artist realised with the support of Walker in 1994. Furthermore, from October onwards, works of the Austrian painter Gustav Janus will be shown in the inner-city space. In the summertime, the Ebenau Castle has regular opening hours, whereas in spring, autumn and winter, the Walkers open their gallery at any time on appointment. www.galerie-walker.at