WINTERTHUR.- Fotomuseum Winterthum presents Simultaneous - Two Collections of Austrian Photography. From the Collections of the Federal Chancellery and the Museum der Moderne Salzburg, on view through 18 February 2007. The four cornerstones of Austrian photography since the 1950s have been, firstly, the gradual emergence of a self-analysis verging on deep psychology, spawned by the often physical struggle of Wiener Aktionismus to explore issues of identity; secondly, a distinct tendency towards visual puns in a rigorous yet playful approach to the question of defining an image that appears to reflect the Austrian love of wordplay in literature and philosophy; thirdly, and unsurprisingly, an unmistakable affinity to all things theatrical, with a striking number of works that are staged or involve acting out a scene in front of the camera; and finally, an intense and densely woven documentation of Austria and the Austrians, forming a complex and critical examination of the nation’s social fabric. The enormous range covered by Austrian photography from 1950 to the present day is reflected in the collections of the Federal Chancellery and the Museum der Moderne in Salzburg.

Austria has no national photography centre, photography archive or photography museum. Instead, a number of decentralised forums have made photography their theme over the past 25 years, above all "Camera Austria", in connection with its exhibitions in the Forum Stadtpark and, more recently, in the new Kunsthaus in Graz, as well as the Fotohof in Salzburg with its exhibitions, publications and extensive library of photo-books. Then there is the magazine "Eikon" with its on-going media discourse, the Fotogalerie in Vienna, the initiative "Fluss" in Lower Austria, the Fotoforum West in Innsbruck and, since the spring of 2003, the Albertina in Vienna with the emphasis on historic items, and many others. These remarkable and successful initiatives have been combined into a national network on the platform "Fotonet.at".

This Austrian photo-federalism has an exception: during the past two, three decades, Salzburg has developed into a central collection venue for photography in Austria after World War II, largely thanks to the collection of the Province of Salzburg, initiated by Otto Breicha in collaboration with Margit Zuckriegl, at the Rupertinum, and the collection of the Federal Chancellery, which has given the major part of its stocks to Salzburg for safe keeping. The two collections, both located at Museum der Moderne in Salzburg, grew parallel to one another in terms of both time and content. In both, the emphasis is primarily on contemporary events, thereby promoting topical photography and continually adding to their stocks for the future. Up till now, the two collections contain around 15,000 photographs, which cover the basic fields of photography in Austria after 1945.

The exhibition was primarily compiled for the Museum der Moderne in Salzburg. A new selection will be made for the Fotomuseum Winterthur. The curator is Urs Stahel. The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue.