24.04. – 16.06.2018


MICHAEL SCHÄFER
WIR UND DIE ANDEREN
US AND THEM
Opening: 20.04.2018, 19 Uhr / 7 pm


Realities clash in Michael Schäfer's images: his montages juxtapose screen shots of videos taken from the net with photographic images shot by the artist.

His series "Invasive Links" depicts people in familiar, everyday situations. However, in the midst of war-torn environments, somewhere in Syria or Iraq, they appear irritatingly out of place. Presented as large-scale photographs on wallpaper, the images leave an immediate impression on the viewer. In an absorbing fashion, they become part of the room.

A second work complex ("Night") presents video stills depicting assaults and attacks which took place in Germany. These images are combined with photos of the same locations, returned to normality in the aftermath of the attacks. The works are presented as prints in lightboxes.

In his work, Michael Schäfer addresses the increased immediacy of visual reporting on video platforms. The footage presented on these portals has been captured by participants or witnesses of the events. This material reaches us unfiltered, without having been revised or contextualized by an editorial staff. What does it mean when events transmitted through media increasingly permeate and alter our reality? Beyond the assigned role of the viewer or voyeur, what scope of action can we take in regards to these images and their underlying events?