Studies for Video
Victor Burgin / Francette Pacteau: The Embrace

von 11.08.1998 bis 19.09.1998
The Embrace
Two repeating video sequences on two 10' monitors
Color
 

We are proud to present the first one-man-show of works by Victor Burgin in Austria. Burgin, an internationally renowned artist since the late 1960s, has shaped the art and, in particular, the photography of recent decades not only in practice but also through his theoretical works. All exhibited works are brand new and were created specifically for this exhibition.

The exhibition is divided into two parts. In Room 1, a cooperative work by Victor Burgin and Francette Pacteau is presented: a video installation entitled "The Embrace." Two small monitors standing on pedestals opposite one another show video loops. The title refers to a sculpture by Brancusi. Room 2 contains four new triptychs by Victor Burgin entitled "Studies for Video."

"For a long time the photographs I made were in the tradition of "street photography" (Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank, et al) nothing staged, only "chance encounters." My work differed from the street photography tradition in that I presented sequences of photographs (rather than single images) printed larger than was traditional, and combined with words which made reference to the image/text practices of magazines and advertising, and which had narrative content or implications. Today, I use a video camera in the street a sort of "street video." The works called "Studies for Video" refer to the tradition of the "study" for painting." (Victor Burgin, in an interview with Silvia Eiblmayr, CD-ROM Edition Fotohof 1998).
The cited, extensive interview may be found in full length and can be printed from the location: http://www.fotohof.or.at/munich/burgin/burgin.html.