Markus Krottendorfer

Opening: Tue 08.11., 19h

Markus Krottendorfer's photographic practice moves at the interface between the documentary and the fictional, consistently exploring the boundaries to utilitarian photography. His current series Phantom of the Poles (since 2012) focuses on the conflict surrounding controversial narratives of historical realities and world views. The title refers to William Reeds' publication of the same name, published in 1906. In his book, Reeds assumes that the interior of the Earth is hollow and that within it is a world of its own with oceans, volcanoes, and waterfalls. Reeds assumes that the entrances to this "underworld" are at the two polar caps. Krottendorfer traces this hypothesis by seeking out various entrances at remote locations and documenting them photographically: glaciers, mountain peaks, underground waterways, and cave systems. By means of seductive aesthetics, the artist deceives, manipulates, and awakens our desires, misleading us as viewers. In doing so, he exposes the problematic nature of the documentary and its political dimension—who constructs our view of the world?

Markus Krottendorfer (born 1976 in Vienna), lives and works in Vienna. After completing his education at the Friedl Kubelka School of Artistic Photography Vienna, he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna in the class of Eva Schlegel and Josephine Pryde. Since 2001 he has shown his work internationally in numerous solo and group exhibitions and published several artist books. His new book Terminal will soon be published by FOTOHOF edition. The artist's work will be presented parallel to this exhibition in EIKON #120 with a text by Thomas Edlinger.

A main feature in the latest issue EIKON #120 is dedicated to the artist.

Photo: MARKUS KROTTENDORFER, Glacier Surface I, 2022, from the series Phantom of the Poles, C-print, 100 x 80 cm