Reiner Riedler
Reiner Riedler by Michaela Reisinger BW

Artist Statement

The work of Austrian photographer Reiner Riedler oscillates between documentary and conceptual methods. As a documentary photographer, he is interested in social phenomena that often take him to the margins of our living spaces, always in search of the fragile beauty of human existence with its longings and abysses. In his conceptual works, he scrutinises the nature of photography and explores its limits. His new film projects are the result of this process and the logical consequence of these questions.

 

Biographie

Born 1968 in Gmunden, Austria.

He went to Vienna with the intention of studying ethnology. He has tried out many other studies, such as musicology, journalism and African studies, but then attended a College for photography in Vienna (Graphische) and decided to dedicate himself solely to photography. Later studies of Image Sciences at the Danube University of Krems/ AT.

Reiner Riedler’s work has been shown in over hundred exhibitions in numerous countries at photo festivals, galleries and museums worldwide. His pictures have been exhibited at Centre Pompidou/ F, Galerie Westlicht/ AT, Kunsthalle Schirn/ Frankfurt/ DE, SLE Gallery/ NYC, TIFF/ Toronto, the German Kinemathek/ Berlin/ DE and many others. He has been working for periodicals and magazines and published around ten photobooks.

He has won prizes such as the Lafabrica Photobook Award, the Prix L'honneur Levallois, the Special Prize of the Bavarian Hospice and the Grand Prix of Kaunas.

In 2017 he founded the photo book label Reflektor, and in 2020 the Artscope Vienna collective, which is dedicated to the visualisation of art spaces. He is a member of the Künstlerhaus in Vienna.

As a documentary photographer, he has been teaching workshops and giving guest lectures for many years, including at the CEPV Vevey/CH, Anzenberger Masterclass, the UAS St.Pölten and the Prager Fotoschule.

His work "The Unseen Seen" about film reels went viral on the internet a few times. He worked with Austrian Director Ulrich Seidl on the film set of his trilogy "Paradise: Faith, Love, Hope". 

In 2021 he finally decided to work as a movie director and started his first long documentary "Die guten Jahre" (The Good Years), which will be released in 2024.

Reiner Riedler is married and has two sons. He lives with his family in Vienna/ Austria.

BOOKS

END OF THE NIGHT, Edition Fotohof, 2022
THIS SIDE OF PARADISE, Posterbook, Westlicht, 2022
SWEAT, September 2019, Reflektor, Vienna
MEMORY DIAMONDS, Reflektor, Vienna, 2017
WILL, lafabrica, Madrid, 2016
THE UNSEEN SEEN, self published, 2014
ALTERED STATES, Filigranes Éditions, Paris, 2011
FAKE HOLIDAYS, Moser Verlag, Munich, 2009
GESTÜRMTE FESTUNG EUROPA(The Stormed Fortress of Europe), Styria Verlag, 2007
UKRAINE.FOTOGRAFIEN , Edition Fotohof, Otto Müller Verlag, 2003
ALBANIEN, LEBEN AN DER PERIPHERIE , Triton Verlag, Vienna, 2001

 

AWARDS/ GRANTS

Nominierung, Preis der Freien Szene Wien 2021
Shortlisted Vonovia Award 2021
Special Prize 2017, Bayerische Stiftung Hospiz
Rencontres d’Arles, Selection BYOPAPER, 2016
Nominated for the Grand Prix Photo Festiwal/Lodz 2016
Winner of the Lafabrica Photography Book Dummy Award, 2015
Shortlisted Sony World Photography Awards „Arts and Culture“ 2014
Nomination Prix Pictet 2013
Nomination – Foto Objektiv 2012
Prix L´honneur Levallois 2011
Winner of the „bild der wissenschaft“ – Fotopreis 2008
Finalist of the Photolucida Critical Mass 2008
Nominated for the Grand Prix of Lodz 2008
Winner of the Grand Prix of Kaunas 2007
Portfolio Review Bratislava 2007, 2nd Price
Humanitarian Photo Award 2006, 2nd price
Bruno Kreisky Award 2006 for the book Gestürmte Festung Europa by Corinna Milborn
Artist in residence / Sirius Art Center / Ireland 2006
Nominee of the International Colour Award 2006
Nominated for the World Press Masterclass 1999

 

EXHIBITIONS

2023

SWEAT, Photon Gallery Ljubljana
Civilisations: The way we live now (group exhibition), Saatchi Gallery, London
Memory Diamonds, Cortona On The Move Festival, Cortona/IT
Fake Holidays, IMP International Meeting of Photography, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
The Marischkas, The Unseen Seeing, Theatermuseum Vienna (group exhibition)

2022

This Side of Paradise – Retrospective, Westlicht. Museum for Photography, Vienna
Reiner Riedler, OstLicht. Gallery for Photography
Back to Black. Contemporary Analogue and Hybrid Photography. Photon Gallery Ljubljana (Groupshow)

2021

Höhenrausch –Like in Paradies, OÖ Kulturquartier, Linz
(K)ein Mensch ist eine Insel – Von Gemeinschaft und Isolation in der zeitgenössischen Kunst, End of the Night, Künstlerhaus Wien
Sweat, Rotlicht Festival, Galerie Kras, Vienna (Groupshow)
Civilizations: The Way We live Now (Groupshow), Mucem – Musée des civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée, Marseille

2019

WILL, Getxophoto, Getxo, Spain
Fake Holidays at Art Souterrain, Montreal, Canada
Sweat, Bildraum Wien, Austria
MAK Design Labor / VIENNA BIENNALE 2019, Will (Groupshow)
Menschenbilder, Wien, Open Air Exhibition, Haus der Wiener Wirtschaft, Vienna (Groupshow)
Menschenbilder, Wien, Open Air Exhibition, Schönbrunn, Vienna (Groupshow)
Civilizations: The Way We live Now (Groupshow), National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Corea
Civilizations: The Way We live Now (Groupshow), Uljens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
Civilizations: The Way We live Now (Groupshow), National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia

2018

Civilizations: The Way We live Now (Grouphshow), National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Corea
WILL, Galerie Hengevoss-Dürkop, Hamburg
WILL, Arts Space Martiniklinik, Hamburg
The Art of Simulation, ACC Galerie Weimar/D (Groupshow)

2017

Fake Holidays, Fotofestival Schiedam, NL
Fake Holidays, Jaipur Photofestival, India
(Re)inventing Nature, Fotodoc, Space for Documentary Photography, Utrecht, NL (Groupshow)
Eyes On Nature, Künstlerhaus Metternich, Koblenz, D (Groupshow)
Was ist Heimat? NöART Ausstellungsreihe (Groupshow)
WILL, International Festival of Photography Lodz, Poland (Groupshow))
Expressions, Judenplatz, Vienna (Groupshow)

2016

The Lifesaving Machines, Guest of Honour, Boutographies Festival, Montpellier/F
The Veil of the Invisible, Portraits of Sweat, Open Air Exhibition, Kaunas, Lithuania
WILL, Josephinum, Vienna, MoP Vienna
Cross Dressing, Stadthaus Ulm, German (Groupshow)
Contemporary, Galerie Johannes Faber, Vienna (Groupshow)

2015

The Unseen Seen, TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival)
Fake Holidays – longterm Installation at Miami Airport Art Center

2014

Fake Holidays, Hellenic Centre for Photography, Athens
The Unseen Seen – film in a new light, Deutsche Kinemathek, Berlin
Fake Holidays – longterm Installation at Miami Airport Art Center
The Unseen Seen – Die Entdeckung des Filmrollenportraits, Galerie Hengevoss-Dürkop, Hamburg
The Lifesaving Machines – Sous Les Etoiles Gallery, N
Steeve Iuncker – Virginie Rebetez – Reiner Riedler,Photoforum PasquArt, Biel, CH (Groupshow)
Ohne Menschen, Eyes On, Month of Photography Vienna, Galerie am Park (Groupshow)
From the Books, Anzenberger Gallery, Vienna (Groupshow)

2013

Fake Holidays, Month of Photography Athens, Greece
Sweat, Fraunhofer Gesllschaft, Munich
Fake Holidays, Open Air Installation in Clervaux, the permanent place of the exhibition
The family of Man by Edward Steichen
The Lifesaving Machines, EB Galerie, Zürich, CH
Sweat, Anzenberger Gallery, Vienna
Fake Holidays, Photofestival Belfast, Ireland
Fake Holidays, Miami Airport Art Center
The Fields of Photography, Somerset House, Positive View Foundation, London/UK (Groupshow)
Neuland! Macke, Gauguin und andere EntdeckerFake, Kunsthalle Emden/Germany (Groupshow)
The Reality of Fiction/ Month of Photography Denver, USA (Groupshow)
Ulrich Seidl: Liebe – Glaube – Hoffnung, Photo Installation, Bawag Contemporary Vienna (Groupshow)

2012

Fake Holidays, Galerie Hengevoss-Dürkop, Hamburg
Die Nacht, Galerie Ostlicht, Wien (Groupshow)
distURBANces, Musa, MOP Vienna (Groupshow)
distURBANces, MOP Luxemburg (Groupshow)

2011

Altered States, Salons d´Honneur of the Town Hall Levallois, Paris
Real, Fotogalerie Wien A (Groupshow)
“Zeitzeugen- Fotografie in Österreich seit 1945”, Künstlerhaus Wien (Groupshow)

2010

Fake Holidays, Stadthaus ULM, Germany
Dreamlands, Centre George Pompidou Paris (Groupshow)

2009

Fake Holidays, Gallery AVLA NLB, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Reiner Riedler – Wunderwelten, Fotoforum West, Innsbruck
Fake Holidays, International Festival of Photography Lodz, Poland
The Robinson Centrifuge, Künstlervereinigung März, Linz, A (Groupshow)
Die Ideale Ausstellung, ACC Galerie Weimar, Kunstfest Weimar (Groupshow)
Tourism. Spaces of Fiction, Design Center Barcelona (Groupshow)
Fake Holidays, Blue Sky Gallery, Portland, Oregon (Groupshow)

2008

Fake Holidays, International Festival of Photography Lodz, Poland
Fake Holidays, Heart Galerie, Paris, Mois de la Photo
Tourismus – All Inclusive, Kunsthalle Schirn, Frankfurt / Germany (Groupshow)
The other side, Brick 5, Month of Photography Vienna (Groupshow)
Wolfsburg-Vienna, Städteansichten, Goethe Institut Bangkok (Groupshow)
Fake Holidays, Images 08, Vevey, CH
Fake Holidays, Backlight Festival, Tampere, FL

2007

Fake Holidays, House of Photography, Novo Mesto, Slovenia
Wonderland, Galerie Momentum, Vienna
Fake Holidays, Darmstädter Fototage (Groupshow)
24 hours in Vienna, Leopold Museum, Vienna (Groupshow)
Fake Holidays Festival of Light, Kaunas / Lithuania

2006

The Possibility of an Island, Sirius Art Center / Cork / Ireland
Russian Circus, Anzenberger Gallery, Month of Photography Vienna
Russian Circus, Month of Photography Crakow
Fake Holidays, Photofestival Boutographie / Montpellier / France (Groupshow)

2005

Ukraine, Fotosommer Stuttgart / D (Groupshow)
Fake Holidays, Wiesbadener Fototage (Groupshow)

2004

Ukraine, Fotoraum für Fotografie, Schloß Weinberg/ Austria
Poverty has faces in Europe – Crossed looks of three European photographers
European Parlament Brussels (Groupshow)
Das Wunder Mensch, Museum of Modern Art Passau – International Photoart (Groupshow)

2003

Ukraine, Fotohof Salzburg / A (Groupshow)
Poverty, Museum of the City of Vienna (Groupshow)
Poverty, Sozialamt Graz (Groupshow)

2002

Ukraine, Nikon Image House / Zürich / CH

2001

Austrian Documentary Photography , Leica Gallery New York (Groupshow)
Ukraine , City Hall of Ivano-Frankivsk / Ukraine
Albania, Life at the periphery, Alte Schieberkammer / Vienna

1998

Aperto, Galerie Station U3 / Vienna (Groupshow)

1997

Homeless, Fotogalerie Wien (Groupshow)

1996

Pilgramiges, Galerie Profil / Bratislava

 

PHOTOFESTIVALS

Cortona On The Move, Cortona, Italien
IMP Internationales Treffen der Fotografie, Plovdiv, Bulgarien
Getxophoto, Spanien
Jaipurphoto, India
Kaunas Photo, Lithuania
Photofestival Belfast/ Ireland
Month of Photography Athens/ Greece
Backlight Festival, Tampere, Finland
Darmstädter Fototage, Germany
Fototage Wiesbaden, Germany
Visa pour l´image, Perpignan, France
Month of Photography Vienna, Austria
Month of Photography Crakow, Poland
Mois de la Photo, Paris, France
Rencontre d´Arles, Voies Off, France
Rhubarb Rhubarb, Ireland
Fotosommer Stuttgart, Germany
Foto Freo, Australia
Boutographies, Montpellier, France
International Festival of Photography Lodz, Poland
MOP Luxemburg