David Leitner is a European artist whose work moves between analog and digital, canvas and concrete, intimacy and monumentality.
His pieces reflect a constant shift between order and dissolution, control and chaos — a tension that exists not only in urban structures but also in internal landscapes.
Psychological states, transitions, and ruptures play a central role in his work: his motifs oscillate between clarity and fragmentation, stability and deconstruction, often marked by an intensity that fluctuates between eruption and silence.
Leitner combines traditional painting techniques with contemporary visual worlds, incorporating found-footage photography and artificially generated imagery. Rather than indulging in technological nostalgia or blind faith in progress, he uses these elements as a reflection of a fluid, ever-shifting perception of reality.
His art is characterized by strong visual contrasts, often dominated by intense shades of red, that serve as emotional and aesthetic focal points. Whether on concrete, canvas, or polyurethane, Leitner’s works challenge viewers to look closer and question habitual ways of seeing.
His large-scale murals can be found worldwide, in India, tibet, the United States of america, all over europe and south east asia. Through projects such as the EUNIC Mural Project in New York or collaborations with Austrian cultural forums across the globe, he employs art as a medium for dialogue between places, people, and cultural identities.
David Leitner studied painting, graphic design, and advertising at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna as well as at Tongji University in Shanghai. His works are not merely images — they are surfaces of reflection on zeitgeist, transformation, and the complexity of human existence.
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David Leitner
murals:
New York city, usa
Washington DC, usa
los angeles, usa
new delhi, india
Chennai, india
eastern province, sri lanka
vilnius, lithuania
Palawan, philippines
Malapascua, philippines
lhasa, tibet
Shanghai, china
la gomera, canary islands
porzuna, spain
Usera/madrid, spain
Syros, greece
wiener Neustadt, Austria
Wagendorf, austria
Eisenerz, austria
Wolfurt, austria
würmla, austria
graz, austria
wies, Austria
vienna, austria
selected exhibitions:
2024
“oltre i confini” rocca paolina, perugia
“/imagine” atlas, vienna
2023
“lines and shades” kunsthalle, graz
”weihnachtsausstellung” galerie grill, graz
2022
„they asked totally useless questions” keil Galerie griesplatz, Graz
film screening and print release, Austrian cultural forum, new york
artist talk, austrian embassy, Washington d.c.
2020
„Beyond dystopia” ag18, Vienna
„Nach wie Vor” Orpheum, Graz
„Kunst ab Hinterhof” Parallel, Vienna
2019
„DRINNEN“ AG18, Vienna
„100% TRASH“ Kulturdrogerie, Vienna (solo)
„oh please do“ Stadthalle, Graz
„1143 slaves“ Kunsthaus, Graz (performance)
2018
„Janus“ MUC30, Graz (solo)
„Works on Paper“ Suppan Fine Arts, Vienna
„Thanks for Following“ Improper Walls, Vienna (solo)