Peter Kogler

Peter Kogler (1959 – Austria) 

Peter Kogler stands among the foremost pioneers of computer-assisted art and digital installation. Since the mid-1980s, his artistic practice has centred on the transformation of architectural spaces through hypnotic, computer-generated patterns that merge the virtual with the physical. Through immersive installations that employ fabric, wallpaper, projection and sculpture, Kogler explores the relationship between technology and perception, creating labyrinthine environments where recurring motifs – ants, brains, tubes and interlocking lines – become metaphors for networks, systems and the complexities of contemporary society. Influenced by American Minimalism, he was honoured with the Prix Ars Electronica in 1988 for his ground-breaking, early computer-generated work 'Untitled I'. From 1993 to 2005, he headed the New Media class at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna; and from 2008 to 2025, he held a professorship in graphic arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. In his forthcoming collaboration with Galleria Barovier&Toso, Kogler continues to expand his artistic language by working for the first time with Murano glass, bringing his signature digital aesthetics into dialogue with the ancient Venetian tradition of glassmaking as a homage to the heritage of Barovier&Toso, the world’s oldest glassworks company, cultivating an unbroken tradition of glass artistry and innovation spanning seven centuries. 

Major Exhibitions 

Venice Biennale, Austrian Pavilion (1986); Venice Biennale (1993, 1995, 2006); Documenta IX, Kassel (1992); Wiener Secession, Vienna (1995); Documenta X, Kassel (1997); Kunsthaus Bregenz (2000); Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York (2006); MAMCO – Museum of Contemporary Art, Geneva (2007); Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien (MUMOK), Vienna (2008); Mudam, Luxembourg (2010); Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt (2010); Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (2012); Museum of Contemporary Art (MSU), Zagreb (2014); ING Art Center, Brussels (2016); Grand Palais, Paris, 'Artists & Robots' (2018); Kunsthaus Graz (2019); Kunsthalle Bielefeld & Marta Herford (2023); Sevil Dolmacı, Istanbul, '40 Years: A Retrospective' (2023); Diriyah Art Futures, Riyadh (2024-2025); Galerie Mitterrand, Paris (2024); Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg (2025); Palazzo Barovier&Toso, Murano-Venice (forthcoming, September 2025). 

Public & Architectural Projects 

Albertina Museum, Vienna, Glass Facade (2003); Graz Central Station, Entrance Hall (2003); Paul Löbe Haus, Berlin, Projection (2003); Vienna International Airport, Parking Garage 3, Façade (2005); CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Vienna, Facade (2010); U-Bahn Station Karlsplatz, Vienna, Installation (2011); Sigmund Freud Museum, Vienna, Schauraum (2015); Tramway T3 Skate Park, Paris (2017); Austrian Parliament Building, Vienna, Permanent Installation (2022); San Pasquale Metro Station, Naples, Installation (2024); and many other architectural interventions and site-specific installations in public spaces across Europe. 

Awards 

Otto Mauer Prize, Vienna (1988); Prix Ars Electronica, Linz (1988); City of Vienna Prize for Fine Arts (1996); Tyrolean State Prize for Art (2013). 

Selected Publications

'Peter Kogler', Venice Biennale, Aperto 86 Catalogue, 1986; 'Peter Kogler', Documenta IX Catalogue, Kassel, 1992; Venice Biennale Catalogue, Austrian Pavilion, 1995; 'Peter Kogler', Wiener Secession, Vienna, 1995; Documenta X Catalogue, Kassel, 1997; 'Peter Kogler', Kunsthaus Bregenz, Cologne: Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, 2000; 'Peter Kogler', Kunstverein Hannover, Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2004; 'Eye on Europe: Prints, Books & Multiples / 1960 to Now', MoMA, New York, 2006; 'Peter Kogler', MUMOK Vienna, Cologne: Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, 2008; 'Peter Kogler. Projection', Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, 2010; 'Peter Kogler', MSU Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb, 2014; 'Peter Kogler', ING Art Center, Brussels, 2016; 'Artists & Robots', Grand Palais, Paris, 2018; 'Willkommen im Labyrinth', Marta Herford, 2018; 'Connected. Peter Kogler with…', Kunsthaus Graz, 2019; 'Peter Kogler: 40 Years: A Retrospective', Sevil Dolmacı, Istanbul, 2023; 'Peter Kogler. Alphabet City', exh. cat. Francisco Carolinum Linz, 28 Aug. 2025 – 28 Feb. 2026; 'Perdersi in un bicchier d'acqua', exh. cat. Palazzo Barovier&Toso, Murano-Venice, 23 Nov. 2025 – 21 June 2026, Venice: Barovier&Toso ARTE, 2025.

Collections 

Kogler's works are held in major international museum collections including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA, New York), Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), MAMCO – Museum of Contemporary Art (Geneva), Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien (MUMOK, Vienna), Museum of Contemporary Art (MSU, Zagreb), Museu Colecção Berardo (Lisbon), ING Art Center (Brussels), and numerous other prestigious institutions worldwide. His work represents a defining contribution to the development of computer art and continues to influence contemporary explorations of digital media and spatial perception.