(born Tulln in 1954) Untitled, 2 ink drawings on transparent paper (both sides used), 2 sheets of text, one: Melancholia. 2.Fassung. Bläuliche Schatten. O Ihr Dunklen Augen die ..., block capitals in ink on transparent paper, a black surface, all beneath glass, iron construction, 43 x 85 x 28 cm, (K)

Graf’s position is primarily expressed in an interlacing and overlapping of various materials, through to a sheet-like confrontation of contrasts. Figurative drawings, photographs, geometrical patterns, alterations to the existing, specific spatial environment by means of installations connect with collages and linkages, combine with the symbolism of the ornamental, with overpaintings, with the written word. These texts contain a distinctive philosophical poetry. The narrative element of language appeals to our feelings and subconscious, the poignancy of the message lies in the connection which words and sentences, as signs of comprehensible reality, form with the complex possibilities of perception within the use of motifs. Not for nothing have Franz Graf’s works been linked with iconography, with the encrypted truth. Perception behind a form of magic veil.
Agnes Husslein-Arco - from Franz Graf. SCHWARZ HEUTE JETZT HABE DASS SCHON FAST VERGESSEN, Kunsthalle Krems, 2010