What is I

Examinations of self-portraits

Stephan Bögel, Aina Climent, Daniela Djukic, Sonja Irouschek, Alina Simmelbauer, Bastian Thiery

In “Was ist ICH” [What is I], photographers address the curiosity involved in observing oneself, mirroring oneself, recognizing oneself. The show is a loosely interpreted artistic investigation into the age of everyday self-portrayal—the omnipresent communication form of the selfie—and a discussion, carried out on a visual level, that challenges the Instagram rage and its aesthetic. The self-portrait, the artist’s depiction of themself, has found worldwide dissemination through photography. The exhibition points beyond its classical definition to consider other layers of inquiring into the self. Thus, in Scenic Utah, Stephan Bögel finds silent words for a suicide, while in Gesichter [Faces], Alina Simmelbauer postulates a typology of the younger self. Photographs evidently put on sale posthumously were the catalyst for Sonja Irouschek to assume the roles of those portrayed, while the photos and video works of Daniela Djukic, Aina Climent, and Bastian Thiery pose questions concerning the location of personality as well as traditions and definitions.