Johann Feilacher was born in 1954 in Villach, Austria. He studied in Graz and later worked as assistant of professor Leo Navratil in House of Artists, Gugging in 1983-1986. From 1986 he has also been director of the institution. He works mostly in wood.  He is author of numerous theoretic essays, mostly concerned with Art Brut movement. At the Forma Viva Symposium, he considered the local’s request and, besides the piece ‘The Doors to the Forest’, completed also the sculpture ‘Natural Oak – Remembering Ressel’.