Erli Grünzweil (b.1992 in Austria) is based in Vienna. He studies Applied Photography and Time-based Media at the University of Applied Arts Vienna and works as Photographer and Graphic Designer. His work lies at the intersection of observational and staged photography. Grünzweil is questioning the medium itself through bringing it to its boundaries—the boundaries of lens-based and computer-generated pictures, static and moving images, fact and fiction, fine art and applied photography. The outcome are hybrids which seemingly show ordinary situations or random things, but through aesthetics, types of image production and content it goes deeper and addresses social, political and personal matters. By combining images in a new order and a new context, new substance can emerge. Through the surface more profound and inner content can be shown—the absent, the not pictured becomes the subject of these images, so the superficiality can be overcome.
About ‘Ordinary Occult Objects’ – words by Erli Grünzweil:
Ordinary Occult Objects celebrates the ordinary and everyday. It is worth it to look at objects and situations and photograph them because there are facets that remain hidden when viewed less closely. Fantasy, poetry and magic are undisclosed there. When we move through the streets and take a positive look at small things, a huge new world opens up. This creates awareness of objects that affect our lives because we produce, buy, consume or throw them away and each of these actions affects the environment, society and ourselves.
The series includes images I took since 2017 and is an ongoing project that keeps myself aware of the world around me and helps to find new aspects to think about. It gives me the chance to realize specific ideas.
