01.07.–20.08.2000

The Viennese artist Elke Krystufek (b. 1970) depicts herself in countless versions by staging stories of her life with her photos in a collage-like way. In the process, she breaks visual conventions regarding the representation of the female body. She submits herself self-confidently and aggressively to the voyeuristic gaze of her audience. Photography, drawing, painting, video, performance, and installation are the various media used by the artist.

For Portikus, Elke Krystufek plans a new exhibition project in which she makes reference to the Californian band Spain. In the exhibition space, she will set up about 11 walk-in "tents", housings made of fabric with a square ground-plan. One side of each tent consists of large-format paintings portraying the band members, and each tent contains a mannequin. The mannequins wear Walkmen which the visitors may put on, thus allowing them to hear audio tapes of the artist telling significant stories of her life. On the walls of the exhibition space are 30 to 40 self-portraits of the artist in chronological sequence, supplemented by 3 photo collages. There are three monitors on a stage showing videos also addressing the installation. On the opening evening, Elke Krystufek will give a performance, a mixture of singing and playback.