ABOUT
(c) 2021
Their aesthetic language combines elements of speculative fiction, personal narrative, and sociopolitical critique. Whether in large-scale wall works, intimate prints, or immersive installations, their work moves between fragility, resistance, and the poetic potential of the unresolved. In their artistic practice, they understand art as a space of active questioning and subtle transformation.
Developed in cycles, their works emerge from conceptual inquiries that often directly inform the choice of materials. A slow process of layering across materials, techniques, and visual languages forms a central foundation of their practice, regardless of medium. This approach reflects their engagement with a world in which singularities and absolutes do not exist, and meaning is formed through accumulation, contradiction, and continuity.
Their work has been exhibited in Austrian institutions such as the Volkskundemuseum Wien, the Stadtmuseum St. Pölten, the Wien Museum, and the Künstlerhaus Bregenz. They have also participated in numerous group exhibitions and smaller art fairs across Europe and the United States.
Mariella Lehner has realized six solo exhibitions to date, including one at Sotheby’s Vienna in 2024. They were awarded the Simacek Art Award in 2023 and were nominated for the Strabag Art Award in 2026.
ARTISTIC EDUCATION
2025 MFA, 中國美術學院 Hangzhou, CHN (exchange)
2023 MFA, Visual Arts, State University of New York, Purchase College, USA (exchange)
2023 BFA, ΑΝΩΤΑΤΗ ΣΧΟΛΗ ΚΑΛΩΝ ΤΕΧΝΩΝ, GR (exchange)
2012 – 2016 Art History, Universität Wien, AUT
AWARDS & GRANTS
2023 Winner Simacek Art Award