Lois Hechenblaikner
THE SPIRIT OF AUSTRIA
August 29, 2009 – October 17, 2009
Hechenblaikner's accurate photography is based upon his curious glance at people and the space that lies between them. He fixes the traces of human civilisation by evoking repulsion and affection and presents pictures that call for more.
His chosen test objects are the Alps. In distinct and aesthetic pure pictures Lois Hechenblaikner shows a world with deep scares made by our leisure society.
His inspiration for 'The Spirit of Austria' comes from the Austrian commercial for tourism and its ambiguous slogan. So he decided to step into the cellars of the alpine gastronomy. What we get to see are gadgets with clearly labeled panels and dainty routed colourful tubes that remind us of intensive care units. Sometimes one may rather think of a data processing center if there weren't the labels 'beer', 'Glühwein' and 'Jaga-tea'.
The Alps that are serving as a projection for an intact nature can't withhold the run of the urban mass tourism - nor can the alpine population that depend on it. And suddenly they make sense, these restaurant halls that are devoid of people. They are themselves exploited rooms, gadgets, filling stations, just like the ones in the cellars, serving to increase profitability and efficiency.
Hechenblaikner puts his fingers on crosspoints of our national identity. The loss of an unhurt country is especially in the series 'Hinter den Bergen' evident. In numerous diptychs he records the 'Before' and the 'After'.
His chosen test objects are the Alps. In distinct and aesthetic pure pictures Lois Hechenblaikner shows a world with deep scares made by our leisure society.
His inspiration for 'The Spirit of Austria' comes from the Austrian commercial for tourism and its ambiguous slogan. So he decided to step into the cellars of the alpine gastronomy. What we get to see are gadgets with clearly labeled panels and dainty routed colourful tubes that remind us of intensive care units. Sometimes one may rather think of a data processing center if there weren't the labels 'beer', 'Glühwein' and 'Jaga-tea'.
The Alps that are serving as a projection for an intact nature can't withhold the run of the urban mass tourism - nor can the alpine population that depend on it. And suddenly they make sense, these restaurant halls that are devoid of people. They are themselves exploited rooms, gadgets, filling stations, just like the ones in the cellars, serving to increase profitability and efficiency.
Hechenblaikner puts his fingers on crosspoints of our national identity. The loss of an unhurt country is especially in the series 'Hinter den Bergen' evident. In numerous diptychs he records the 'Before' and the 'After'.
