Sculpture Chará, Kunstplatz Graben, Vienna

The five-meter-high and 3.5-meter-wide sculpture Chará – a temporary installation at Kunstplatz Graben in downtown Vienna – is designed in pink paint that is visible from afar. With the jaw and approximating heart shape, the artist refers to popular culture and draws from mythology. The sculpture will be on site from August 16, 2023 to November 8, 2023.

The construction of the artwork consists of a reinforced concrete slab and a tubular structure. The supporting steel tube is wrapped in a glass fibre reinforced plastic shell.

An insert with threaded rods was concreted into the reinforced concrete foundation. The two jaw halves are each provided with a 30mm thick steel plate, onto which the steel pipe was welded.

Reindeer jaws already existed in the work of Kris Lemsalus. The possibility of a triple interpretation as heart, vagina and portal results from a playful approach with the shape. On a deeper level, the themes of birth, rebirth, renewal and fountain of youth are found.