Billi Thanner and Nicole Adler in Talk: "Art has to be seen!"

The "Himmelsleiter" ["ladder to heaven"] at St. Stephen's Cathedral has opened up to an audience that one does not classify in the art context. Even the tabloids have reported eagerly. An "experiment" that has raised public art in Austria to a new level - or how do you see it? 

Billi Thanner: "Just today I received the unbelievable news from Münster that at the meeting of the G7 states my 'ladder to heaven' was declared a world peace symbol ... Unbelievable! My heart's project was and is this work and people have recognised it. Art has to be accessible to everyone and the best way to do that is in public space. I hope that in the future it will also be possible for young artists to show their works of art in public. Art has to be seen!"

How did the collaboration with Billi Thanner come about and what particularly appealed to you about the new project "Future & Symbolism"?

Nicole Adler: "I was offered the Palais Herberstein for an expanded art salon. Since the Palais offers over 250 square metres and two levels, it needs an artist who can fill and play within this framework. After Billi's ladder to heaven was such a great success and many Viennese perceived and loved it as a landmark and symbol of light, I thought we should start here. Symbols and the future - both topics that occupy people and move us. In times like these, especially ..."

What kind of new paths are art and the associated artists in Vienna currently taking to reach the public outside the art circles? 

Nicole Adler: "NFTs are a very young and distinct category that has been experiencing a hype for quite some time, reaching and addressing new target groups. Also and especially through digital media, new platforms and virtual showrooms have been anchored. The same applies to galleries, which have been pushing digitalisation since the Corona Lockdowns. Fairs, such as Parallel, have become quite popular and are increasingly noticed outside the art bubble. It's a good framework to show and discover new things."

The exhibition text is about archetypes and the collective subconscious: What diagnosis of our society do you come to after the analysis? 

Billi Thanner: "I think that we humans all have one thing in common: We have a code within us that makes us look for beauty in nature and the world. We unconsciously look for happiness and have the hope that something beautiful will reach us. There is the one thing we call familiar without being able to explain to ourselves why this is so ... I would call it the divine order or the golden ratio. We humans will always seek happiness! It is within us and the archetypes unconsciously tell us whether something is right or wrong, something beautiful or ugly, a dream or a nightmare. With these insights, I allow myself to see people as they are and create respect and space for each of us, with as little prejudice as possible!"

The exhibition "Symbols for the Future" is open from 11th November 2022 until

Billi Thanner: "I think that we humans all have one thing in common: We have a code within us that makes us look for beauty in nature and the world. We unconsciously look for happiness and have the hope that something beautiful will reach us. There is the one thing we call familiar without being able to explain to ourselves why this is so ... I would call it the divine order or the golden ratio. We humans will always seek happiness! It is within us and the archetypes unconsciously tell us whether something is right or wrong, something beautiful or ugly, a dream or a nightmare. With these insights, I allow myself to see people as they are and create respect and space for each of us, with as little prejudice as possible!"

The exhibition "Symbols & Future" is open from the 11th November until 22nd December 2022.