In his seemingly nonsensical sound poems and visual works, Poier abstracts meaning in favor of artistic autonomy—akin to the Dadaist-surrealist method of cadavre exquis and Concrete Poetry, expressed in a childlike and intuitive style. And yet, laughter is allowed: in his series of language-image jokes, such as the legendary deer cycle (REH-PORT, REH-GAL, HUR-REH), literal meanings are flipped into biting mutants of significance.

The exhibition at the tresor of the Bank Austria Kunstforum focuses on Alf Poier’s visual art, with a special emphasis on his drawings, accompanied by props, musical elements, and film excerpts from his cabaret programs of the past twenty years.