Cornelia Krafft

B. 1972, Munich

Cornelia Krafft holds a Master's degree in Fine Arts from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Austria.

She has developed her artistic practice across various mediums, including stage and costume design, installation art, performance art, film, photography, and painting. Her work has been showcased in prominent cities such as Vienna, London, Munich, Berlin, Venice, Norway, Australia, and Beirut.

After teaching for ten years at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, she relocated to Beirut in 2009. Currently, she serves as a Professor in the Fine Art and Art History Department at the American University of Beirut. She has introduced the teaching of Performance art and continues to actively pursue her work as an artist and professor.

About Her Work

Cornelia Krafft's work revolves around the themes of mythology and the struggles faced by women in society throughout history. She employs a range of artistic strategies, including performance art, choreography, installation, photography, painting, film, and stage and costume design, to create a cohesive and integrated body of work. Her performances and choreographies are typically non-verbal and frequently take place in natural or abandoned urban settings, which serve as her stage.

About Shore

The art installation Shore is inspired by the poem of Lea Najjar:

I am a shore

the shore of each and every coast

tickled by the waves

home-coming tears and leaving excitement

facing the horizon

not expecting to be more than a line

cannot throw myself into the waters

without recreating my own.

About Sense of Family

Cornelia Krafft's installation Sense of Family consists of five sculptures carved from traditional olive oil soap and mounted on metal posts. This thought-provoking artwork reflects on the importance of preserving a sense of community, tradition, and memory, which are at risk of being lost.

Cornelia Krafft

Sense of Family, 2012

Soap, metal

Loan from the artist