(c) Martin Reinhart
Überleben im Bild
An exhibition visit with a curatorial tour by Katarina Matiasek
As part of the Monday class, we went on an excursion to the Photoinstitut Bonartes in Seilerstätte 22. The full title of the
exhibition was also the programme of the show: »Survival in the picture. Ways out of the anonymity of anthropological "type
photographs" in the Emma and Felix von Luschan Collection« - »Überleben im Bild. Wege aus der Anonymität anthropologischer
„Typenfotografien“ in der Sammlung Emma und Felix von Luschan«,
Katarina Matiasek, a Vienna based artist and anthropologist, curated the exhibition and gave us a 90-minute guided tour in which both the problematic historical background of the Luschan Collection and the form of the chosen presentation were discussed with the students.
From the official exhibition text: A nowadays seemingly fanatical collecting activity of data on supposedly declining indigenous cultures in all regions of the world determined ethnography and anthropology in the late 19th century. By distinguishing "typical" characteristics, the aim was to make visible lines of development in human history that were threatened with extinction by the spread of colonialism. Photography also played a central role in this work for the Austrian research couple Emma and Felix von Luschan.
The exhibition examines the conditions under which these photographs were produced between the expedition and the peoples' show, as well as their exchange among scholars and acquisition in local commercial studios. Above all, however, it is devoted to the biographies of some people from distant lands who have so far only been perceived as representatives of a "type". Finally, a look at the self-portrayal of Emma and Felix von Luschan in the photograph poses anew the question of the relationship between the researcher and the researched.
The exhibition and publication were produced in cooperation with the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Vienna.
https://www.bonartes.org/index.php/kalender-detail/%C3%BCberleben-im-bild-wege-aus-der-anonymit%C3%A4t-anthropologischer-typenfotografien-in-der-sammlung-emma-und-felix-von-luschan.html
Katarina Matiasek, a Vienna based artist and anthropologist, curated the exhibition and gave us a 90-minute guided tour in which both the problematic historical background of the Luschan Collection and the form of the chosen presentation were discussed with the students.
From the official exhibition text: A nowadays seemingly fanatical collecting activity of data on supposedly declining indigenous cultures in all regions of the world determined ethnography and anthropology in the late 19th century. By distinguishing "typical" characteristics, the aim was to make visible lines of development in human history that were threatened with extinction by the spread of colonialism. Photography also played a central role in this work for the Austrian research couple Emma and Felix von Luschan.
The exhibition examines the conditions under which these photographs were produced between the expedition and the peoples' show, as well as their exchange among scholars and acquisition in local commercial studios. Above all, however, it is devoted to the biographies of some people from distant lands who have so far only been perceived as representatives of a "type". Finally, a look at the self-portrayal of Emma and Felix von Luschan in the photograph poses anew the question of the relationship between the researcher and the researched.
The exhibition and publication were produced in cooperation with the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Vienna.
https://www.bonartes.org/index.php/kalender-detail/%C3%BCberleben-im-bild-wege-aus-der-anonymit%C3%A4t-anthropologischer-typenfotografien-in-der-sammlung-emma-und-felix-von-luschan.html
Überleben im Bild
November 15, 2021
Location
Photoinstitut Bonartes, Seilerstätte 22, Vienna
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Students
- Chloë Lalonde (Participant)
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Team
- Martin Reinhart (Organizer)