Sevda Chkoutova’s “Queens” in Gmunden
In spring 2024, Galerie 422 in Gmunden became the setting for a poetic spatial installation by Vienna-based artist Sevda Chkoutova. As part of the curated exhibition format frames – a project that enables temporary art interventions in vacant commercial spaces – Chkoutova realized her work “Queens”, an expansive installation that combined painting, textiles and architecture in a sensually associative way.
As soon as you enter the former store, it becomes clear that this is not just about art in the classic sense, but about a holistic experience. The walls and ceiling were covered with large, pastel-colored paintings – rosé, apricot, cream and coral tones merged with energetic brushstrokes to create a dynamic, yet gentle composition. Chkoutova wove translucent textiles into this painterly structure – fragile, woven objects that floated in space like veils, like memories, like bodies.
What makes this work so special is the way it takes the location seriously: The spatial conditions of the venue are not overcome, but integrated. Instead of a neutral white cube, visitors experience a place that breathes, that does not deny its history, but rewrites it – through color, light and movement. Chkoutova creates an atmosphere that is both fragile and self-confident. The room becomes a sensitive body, a mirror of our own perception.
This exhibition is part of a larger series that was realized as part of the frames project in Gmunden and with the support of the Capital of Culture Salzkammergut 2024. The aim of the format is to provide young and established artists with temporary spaces and at the same time activate the urban center. Chkoutova’s intervention is a particularly successful example of how art not only shows, but also transforms.
With “Queens”, Sevda Chkoutova has created a quiet, luminous place – a fabric of color, light and feminine presence. Her work touches not through spectacle, but through sensitivity, openness and depth. An invitation to pause, get involved and listen to the quiet tones of art in a new way.
Frames used: These impressive and emotional photographs are presented in DISTANCE 10, Alu 8, white, Artglass AR70, which support the effect in a special way and give them the perfect stage to unfold.