Gustav Januš brings colour to Klagenfurt palliative ward

An exhibition of works by Gustav Januš is on display at the palliative ward of Klagenfurt Clinic, where art has been part of daily life for more than a decade, ORF reported. The exhibition runs until March.

The ward presents a new exhibition each spring and autumn, using the corridor walls as gallery space. Ward head Monika Jahn said the works can stay in visitors’ memories and that art can offer hope and help people enter other worlds during difficult times.

The exhibition is a joint project by Jahn and department head Rudolf Likar, who focuses on artists from Carinthia. Likar said he wants to show seriously ill patients that there is still much in life that can bring joy.

Januš is known for abstract paintings featuring vivid colours such as yellow, green and blue, often set against black shapes. Jahn said visitors had responded positively, with one emphatic “wow” heard along the corridor.

Januš also writes poetry in Slovenian. Nobel laureate in literature Peter Handke is among the best-known translators of his poems and once called him “the only living genius”. Carinthian painter and musician Richard Klammer said the 87-year-old Januš remained on a quest for discovery and was still developing his artistic process.