Markus Köppl was born in 1980 in Klagenfurt, Carinthia. He grew up with a brother in Bad St. Leonhard, Carinthia. His mother, Hannelore, was a teacher by profession and she and his father Karl, ran a long-established and very popular inn in the local community. This environment had a lasting influence on the artist during his formative years. He completed his secondary education at the Bundes-Oberstufenrealgymnasium (BORG) in Wolfsberg.

 

After several years of work with the Austrian Service Abroad, he completed his military service as a reconnaissance specialist in Gratkorn, Styria. Following incomplete studies in law and sociology in Graz, Markus Köppl earned a bachelor’s degree from the EU Business School in Barcelona, specializing in public relations and communication under Professor Anne Dwyer.

 

Through joint study trips with fellow artists Kevin A. Rausch, Stefan Kreuzer, and Christian Köstinger, the artist spent extended periods in cities such as Barcelona, Madrid, Naples, Cairo, Tel Aviv, and Buenos Aires. During numerous studio visits with his artist friends, Markus Köppl studied the process and practice of artistic creation.

 

In his analogue works, the self-taught artist explores themes such as religion, war, power, violence, pain, and death from an analytical perspective. His photographic work captures the beauty of the four seasons in both urban and rural settings. A fascination with the obscure within the seemingly ordinary also fuels the artist’s curiosity. He captures such impressions on film as well, arranging and presenting them cinematically.

 

Markus Köppl owes his analytical-philosophical approach to artistic themes to the Viennese psychiatrist, author, and artist Prof. Dr. Rainer Strobl.

With a trained, critical eye on society and a profound understanding of human nature, Rainer Strobl has, through countless conversations, encouraged the artist to sharpen his perception and deepen his artistic reflection.

With clear intellect and impressive human depth, Prof. Dr. Rainer Strobl continuously opens up new insights for him into the complexity of human existence – one conversation at a time.