Sepp Auer :
Parish Church Paasdorf

Not far from Mistelbach in the Lower Austrian Weinviertel lies Paasdorf. Here the sculptor Sepp Auer was commissioned to redesign the altar area. The original Gothic church, built between 1283 and 1285, has a largely baroque interior. Sepp Auer encountered the stylistic dichotomy between the building and its interior, the mix of periods, with his own clear reduced formal language. His design includes the altar, ambo (pulpit) and the priest's chair as well as the candelabra, processional cross and vase. The altar and pulpit are made of Italian marble. The artist selected a simple light Maplewood for the priest's seat. Candelabra, processional cross and vases are made of chromium-nickel steel. Auer had the terrazzo flooring replaced by light Solnhofen stone slabs. The quality of the design lies in the presence of the pure materials and a simultaneously restrained approach to the physical presence of the objects. The dialogue that Sepp Auer pursues in the 21st century with the different stylistic epochs is a very discrete one, and allows the historical space room to breathe. Characteristic of this is the considered use of materials. The light wood and the chrome-plated steel are simple, elegant and unimposing testimonials to an artistic intervention. The earth tone of the marble, the living grain and the fossil remains caught in it represent a reference to the baroque interior of the church, while its delicate form creates the impression that it has been drawn in the space.
(Cornelia Offergeld)