Katharina Sieverding has left a mark on Salzburg, beginning in 1967 when she was assistant stage designer in the Teo Otto production of the “Zauberflöte” (Magic Flute), and especially since 1995 as an annual professor of the photography class at the Summer Academy for Fine Arts. 2008 will be her 10th year.
Her numerous exhibitions (Kunstverein 1993, Fotohof 1995, Traklhaus 1996, Residenzgalerie 1998) and continuous public talks have strongly inspired the art scene in Salzburg.
Her exhibition “ENCODE VII/08”, accompanied by two projections and a book, is an attempt to discuss this current piece of work within the overall context of her previous work, as well as to contribute to the international development of photo- and film history since the 1970s.
“Encoding” describes the transfer of information from one format into another. This “enciphering” is one of the main topics in Katharina Sieverdings large format pieces. Each picture, taken with an analogue camera on black and white film, has been processed (or encoded) and thus creates a space to reflect the system of art/culture and its visual production.
In doing so, the artist keeps referring to her own work from which she generates new images; a constant critical examination revealing socio-political and socio-cultural structures of the art business. Since the 60s the artist has strongly contributed to the development of art, especially interdisciplinary media-based art.
Katharina Sieverding: born 1944 in Prague, lives in Düsseldorf and Berlin. Multiple participations at Documenta (d5, d6, d7) and Biennals. Since 1992 Professor for Visual Culture Studies at the Art University in Berlin.
