From 2005 to 2009, Karl Vouk painted nine so-called Carinthian triptychs that involve a considerable deal of criticism and sarcasm as they lay bare the political reality in Carinthia and Austria’s neglect towards the Slovenian minority in that region. They were created on the 50th anniversary of the Austrian State Treaty, or rather the 50th anniversary of the failure to comply with it. During their first exhibition for a festive ceremony in the gallery of the Carinthian State Diet in Klagenfurt, they garnered an animated political response.

Triptych # 3 “Karntn is lei ans!” (German Carinthian dialect: There is only one Carinthia!). The central image is surrounded by the logos of the two EU countries: Austria and Slovenia. Currently, as the nations of Europe are uniting under the blue EU-flag, Carinthia remains sole and unified, coloured in brown. Brown has strong political connotations related to Austria’s history. With the rise of national socialism, the light brown becomes the colour of party member’s uniforms, and brown is also present in the Carinthian folk costume.

Text: Marko Košan