SIMULTANEOUS – Two Collections of Austrian Photography
02.12.2006 - 18.02.2007
From the Collections of the Federal Chancellery and the Museum der Moderne Salzburg
Among others with works by Arnulf Rainer, Günter Brus, Rudolf Schwarzkogler, Otto Muehl, Hermann Nitsch, Valie Export, Eva Schlegel, Maria Hahnenkamp, Elke Krystufek, Matthias Herrmann, Peter Weibel, Günther Selichar, Tamara Horáková/Ewald Maurer, Herwig Kempinger, Michael Schuster, Lois Renner, Gregor Zivic, G.R.A.M., Peter Dressler, Paul Albert Leitner, Erwin Wurm, Markus Schinwald, Leo Kandl, Manfred Willmann, Aglaia Konrad, Sabine Bitter/Helmut Weber.
The four cornerstones of Austrian photography since the 1950s have been, firstly, the gradual emergence of a self-analysis verging on deep psychology, spawned by the often physical struggle of Wiener Aktionismus to explore issues of identity; secondly, a distinct tendency towards visual puns in a rigorous yet playful approach to the question of defining an image that appears to reflect the Austrian love of wordplay in literature and philosophy; thirdly, and unsurprisingly, an unmistakable affinity to all things theatrical, with a striking number of works that are staged or involve acting out a scene in front of the camera; and finally, an intense and densely woven documentation of Austria and the Austrians, forming a complex and critical examination of the nation’s social fabric. The enormous range covered by Austrian photography from 1950 to the present day is reflected in the collections of the Federal Chancellery and the Austrian Photogallery in the Museum der Moderne in Salzburg.
The exhibition was primarily compiled for the Museum der Moderne in Salzburg. A new selection will be made for the Fotomuseum Winterthur. The curator is Urs Stahel. The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue.
|
|
