Philipp Timischl: Art Works For All Age Groups

Philipp Timischl's artist's book ARTWORKS FOR ALL AGE GROUPS shows a photographic series with a conspicuously glamorous female figure; it is the artist himself in drag. Accompanied by a muscular young man, she is taking a private stroll through the Secession's deserted galleries, secret corridors, and offices. Yet her appearance and bearing suggest a misconception of what is normally considered appropriate in this setting. If Timischl relies on an exaggerated impersonation of heteronormativity, humor, and artificiality, it is not to invest his work with the aesthetic allure of camp. Rather, he seeks to spotlight a form of feigned self-confidence prompted by insecurity, marginalization, and being torn between milieus and classes. The protagonist's color-coordinated makeup and outfit in fact suggest that she took great care to mimic the institution's aesthetic and the figures in the Beethoven Frieze. Still, she apparently misread the unspoken rules on how to be and act that are in effect even in a liberal space such as the world of contemporary art. Text by Paul Clinton and an excerpt from Didier Eribon: Returning to Reims (French / English / German)