honorable mention
René Kanzler germany
title
Double twins. Virgin. Smoke and mirrors.
140 years later also, these images are in the collective memory as parts of one of the world’s most renowed collections.
To be able to work with the digital reproductions of cigarette cards with partly named photographic portraits of actresses at that time that have been stuck into albums, it took help by the legal department of the collection itself.
What show the pictures of the group of works that are unlabelled corresponding to their title “Virgin”?
Even though they are personal portraits of actresses who stage their self, it seems that these days the anonymous pictures give all the more insights into roles, norms and economy of that time because the actresses are rather unknown now.
Twins are appearing on most of the pictures of the group of works. But they turn out to be women who are viewing themselves in the mirror averted from the spectator and who are entering the stages of the images as a phantasmagorial something after being trimmed (largely).
It is a jeniform view on the likewise opened and closed curtain because numerously more pairs of twins have played the theatre of the pictorial space in a way, have inscribed themselves in it without leaving a mark of themselves. What play the theatre company is playing?
Oliver Wendell Holmes said in 1859 that photography was a “mirror with a memory”. Have mirrors broken into pieces when losing memory? It is more likely that some of the latter pairs of twins are entirely or partially replaced by other ones in terms of a plasticity during the constitution of a photographic image when they were unknown or forgotten.
back to gallery
entry description
From the end of 19th century on, so-called “cigarette cards” have started as collector’s items to document but also to influence the American culture first of all.140 years later also, these images are in the collective memory as parts of one of the world’s most renowed collections.
To be able to work with the digital reproductions of cigarette cards with partly named photographic portraits of actresses at that time that have been stuck into albums, it took help by the legal department of the collection itself.
What show the pictures of the group of works that are unlabelled corresponding to their title “Virgin”?
Even though they are personal portraits of actresses who stage their self, it seems that these days the anonymous pictures give all the more insights into roles, norms and economy of that time because the actresses are rather unknown now.
Twins are appearing on most of the pictures of the group of works. But they turn out to be women who are viewing themselves in the mirror averted from the spectator and who are entering the stages of the images as a phantasmagorial something after being trimmed (largely).
It is a jeniform view on the likewise opened and closed curtain because numerously more pairs of twins have played the theatre of the pictorial space in a way, have inscribed themselves in it without leaving a mark of themselves. What play the theatre company is playing?
Oliver Wendell Holmes said in 1859 that photography was a “mirror with a memory”. Have mirrors broken into pieces when losing memory? It is more likely that some of the latter pairs of twins are entirely or partially replaced by other ones in terms of a plasticity during the constitution of a photographic image when they were unknown or forgotten.
about the photographer
is often called a “photosopher”, started as a studio photographer, oscillated between freelance work and art world later on, studied photography among others things, holds an MAS from the Academy of Art and Design Basel (FHNW, Switzerland)back to gallery