INNSBRUCK. The special show is called “The Cats” from 23 September to 14 October in the Kunsthalle IN-N on Herzog-Friedrich-Strasse. Gallery manager Christian Pramstaller is pleased to announce J. Robert Possenig, a well-known East Tyrolean in the state capital.
The artist
J. Robert Possenig, born in Lienz in 1950, is less known as a painter, but as a radio pioneer, presenter and theater artist, far beyond East Tyrol’s borders. As a radio pioneer he started the first folk music broadcasts in Lienz in 1978 for the private broadcaster Freie Welle Pustertal, which was based in Campo Tures (South Tyrol) and was one of the first private broadcasters to be heard in East Tyrol. Thousands of broadcasts followed on various broadcasters, from 86 to 97 Robert Possenig ran his own private broadcaster Radio Tele 3 in Innichen, and was one of the pioneers who fought to get private radio licensed. After 20 years, on April 1, 1998, it was so far that Possenig, as the father of the idea, could go on the air with his “child”, Radio Osttirol, so to speak. During this time of farewell, Robert remembered his great desire to attend the “Grafische” in Vienna after compulsory school, which unfortunately did not work out for financial reasons.
Love of painting
Robert Possenig bought paints and canvas and began to paint as a “therapy” so to speak. The artist did not want to express his thoughts with words and texts, as in the past, but with colors and pencil. Of course it was the search for a personal style, but the most important thing was to find peace of mind and inner calm with painting. At the same time as saying goodbye to the radio, there was also the separation from the family, everything not easy to digest. “Painting was the best therapy, it gave me back my inner balance,” says the committed hobby painter. The first pictures were part of a joint exhibition in the Bank Austria gallery in Lienz, followed by painting weeks with artist friends in Tuscany and Marche, in addition to the self-taught trial phase. In between, a cancer operation was due, which fortunately was very successful. The rehab in Bad Tatzmannsdorf again offered the opportunity to use painting therapy one more time. There, too, Robert could quickly exhibit his pictures for a whole year.
“The cats”
Since retiring 6 years ago, but still active as a theater man, Possenig has found time to paint and draw. There are always attempts to try new things and to try out a wide variety of techniques. Friend and gallery owner Christian Pramstaller suggested whether one could do an exhibition with “simple yet appealing cat pictures”, and Robert Possenig tried to master this genre as well. The result: the special exhibition “The Cats”.
The exhibition
Special exhibition “The Cats” by J. Robert Possenig from 23.09. until 14.10.21, every Wednesday to Friday from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Kunsthalle IN-N, Herzog-Friedrich-Straße.
