Daniel Stempfer is an Austrian-born artist working primarily in sculpture and installation. His process-oriented practice explores the relationship between deliberate material intervention and natural phenomena such as erosion, evaporation, and organic growth. By setting conditions in motion and allowing time, environment, and chance to influence outcomes, he investigates the balance between control and unpredictability. His work has been exhibited internationally at institutions and venues including MMK Frankfurt, MMCA Seoul, Mediterranea Biennale, W139 Amsterdam, Xinqiao Art Museum Shanghai, Art Center Ongoing Tokyo, Traklhaus Salzburg, Club Transmediale Berlin, and Kunstverein Wiesbaden.

Daniel Stempfer’s research examines the history of industrial automation and the division it introduced between planning and execution, management and labour. This historical perspective informs his investigation into how artists can reclaim contemporary fabrication technologies, often designed to minimise human agency, and redirect them toward creative and critical ends. His work explores how industrial tools and automated processes can be appropriated as sites for experimentation, resistance, and expanded authorship, with a particular focus on the relationship between intentional control and open-ended material processes.

I see contemporary sculpture as a dynamic discipline that thrives at the intersection of material, concept, and technique. In the studio, I encourage students to explore a broad range of sculptural approaches, from traditional methods such as carving, casting, and welding to digital modelling and fabrication. At the same time, I emphasise the development of visual sensitivity and strong conceptual frameworks, ensuring that material and process choices serve a clear artistic intention rather than determine it. Above all, I aim to foster a supportive, inquisitive studio culture that allows students to experiment, take creative risks, and develop the confidence, critical awareness, and practical versatility necessary for the cultivation of a distinctive artistic voice.