H. R. Giger Exhibition Alert

Alienmonster (Giger's Alien), 1979 © HR Giger, 2011. Image Source: Kunst Haus Wien.

H. R. Giger Update. What should pop up in my inbox yesterday, but a nice invitation from Kunst Haus Wien to a press conference with H. R. Giger? The Swiss artist who famously designed the alien in the Alien franchise will be meeting with the press today to discuss his new exhibition, Träme und Visionen (Dreams and Visions) which is running at the Kunst Haus (Untere Weißgerberstraße 13, 1030 Vienna) from 10 March to 26 June.

Atomkinder (Atomic Children), 1968 Collection of City Zürich © HR Giger, 2011. Image Source: Kunst Haus Wien.

Li I, 1974 (Photo: Roland Gretler) © HR Giger, 2011. Image Source: Kunst Haus Wien.

From the gallery press release:

HR Giger is an artist of visions, who has depicted the collective fears of a humanity faced with the threat of nuclear destruction and the mechanisation of life in archetypal images created in his distinctive biomechanical style. He is a magician of dreams, who, in cycles such as the "Necronomicon" or the "Tarot", probes the most deeply hidden layers of the subconscious and penetrates to the abysses of all that is nightmarish and demonic. Running through HR Giger's entire oeuvre, like two closely entwined threads, are the themes of sexuality and death; in the exhibition, a special section is devoted to "Eros und Thanatos".

The retrospective brings together key works from all of HR Giger's creative periods and works that have never been exhibited before, thereby offering insights into the development of his unmistakable aesthetic. A special focus is placed on three female figures that appear in HR Giger's oeuvre – Li Tobler, one of his muses, the singer Debbie Harry, and the hybrid female Sil from the film "Species". The exhibition places significant motifs from HR Giger's works in the context of the artists and images that have particularly inspired him.

Gebährmaschine (Birth Machine), 1967 © HR Giger, 2011. Image Source: Kunst Haus Wien.

A couple of late 2010 reports (here and here) confirm that Giger is working on designs for Ridley Scott's much anticipated Alien prequel, now a stand-alone, somehow unrelated film entitled Prometheus.  According to Scott:

“While ‘Alien’ was indeed the jumping off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place. The keen fan will recognize strands of ‘Alien’s’ DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative. I couldn’t be more pleased to have found the singular tale I’d been searching for, and finally return to this genre that’s so close to my heart.”

For those of you curious about the world of Alien beyond the movies, there have been several comic books and novels that expanded on the Ripley-centred story with which just about everyone is familiar.  A fascinating timeline for the Alien universe, drawn up by fans, is here.

For my previous posts on H. R. Giger, go here.