Art meets energy: Lukas Stangl wins Salzburg AG Art Prize!

Art meets energy: Lukas Stangl wins Salzburg AG Art Prize!

There is exciting news in the art scene in Salzburg! On October 22, 2025, the Mozarteum was celebrated at a ceremony at the University of Mozarteum Salzburg AG Art Prize forgive. The winner is 33-year-old Lukas Stangl, who impressed the jury with his innovative project “Data Whispers: Making the Invisible Visible”. This initiative was launched on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Salzburg AG and is intended to provide a creative impulse for dealing with energy and digital networks.

The jury members, who met on May 16 this year, highlighted the most precise and artistically meaningful submissions. Stangl, who has a technical background as a mechatronics engineer and has been studying visual education and design at the Mozarteum University since 2019, will now continue to pursue his ideas. He plans to use the architecture of Salzburg AG in the Exhibition concept which will be presented in the Rotunda of Salzburg AG in 2026.

A project with vision

Stangl's project examines the architecture and aesthetics of Salzburg AG's hydroelectric power plants and, in its level of detail, will make visible the critical infrastructures that are normally only noticed when there are malfunctions. A unique formal language is also developed to translate technical devices. Michael Baminger, CEO of Salzburg AG, emphasizes that art and innovation are closely related and such projects promote the visibility of the energies generated by our rivers and currents.

During the award ceremony, Elisabeth Gutjahr, Rector of the Mozarteum University, emphasized the enrichment that art and technology experience through such collaborations. “In the exhibition, circuitry and beauty are poetically layered together,” says Gutjahr. Stangl shows that infrastructural topics such as the energies of “data whispers” can also be conveyed in an appealing way through interactive art forms.

A network of inspiring workshops

The anticipation of Stangl's exhibition illustrates the current trend of how art and technology are increasingly intertwined. This interaction will be further discussed as part of the “ARTmeetsTECH” workshop series, supported by 18 Goethe Institutes in Europe. Here, artists and cultural workers work on innovations such as artificial intelligence, immersive media and creative coding techniques. These workshops provide space for practical experiments and critical discussions, which will certainly enrich the development of Stangl's project. An example of this innovative strength is a workshop on October 28th that deals with the combination of traditional crafts and modern technologies.

So it becomes clear: There is a lot going on in the art sector in Salzburg, and Lukas Stangl is currently leaving his mark on this dynamic scene. The Salzburg AG Art Prize exhibition could be a groundbreaking event that takes the discussion of energy, technology and art to a new level.