Heidi Leitner was born on 8 August 1968 in Bressanone (Italy). She completed her wood sculptor training in the traditional South Tyrolean statuary institutions. In a long-lasting and intensive debate with sacred and profane themes, she has developed the classical forms of wood sculpture in an innovative and uniquely appealing way. In so doing, she has succeeded in giving character to her high-quality artworks in which the modern and topical power of her artistic expression always resonates alongside more tradition-conscious components. In a single piece of art she combines wood and colours with other materials (such as gold leaf or metal) in a striking and unusual way. This gives every sculpture the charm of distinguished uniqueness, which skilfully connects old and new forms of expression. Through this interplay of the traditional and the modern, the artist is forging new paths in modern wood sculpture.

Heidi Leitner's oeuvre displays a wide spectrum of forms and themes, but a common denominator can be recognised: for the artist, each of her works represents a detailed, accurate manifestation of a specific observation. She does this to attempt to draw the gaze of her audience to ruptures and uneven areas in a structure that otherwise appears smooth. Her artistic objective lies in creating a fictitious social space that comes into being due to a combination of three components: the depiction itself, the view of the artist, and the perception of the artwork by her audience. In this space the artist meets her audience to discuss questions of life and religion.