I Know I Will See What I Have Seen Before – Thomas Albdorf

The first images that naturally come to mind when we think about Austria are its monumental mountain ranges. In Thomas Albdorf’s photographies, however, the Alpes are just a pretext, a screen, a two-dimensional surface that serves as the background for other elements. In the project I Know I Will See What I Have Seen Before, Albdorf reflects on the linguistic codes that are involved in the reading of a picture. The photographer alternates traditional landscape photography with images that are altered through different media. The act of introducing these incongruous elements and deconstructing the photography in its formal components activates a short circuit that leads to reconsider the way the image is seen. Drawing from a stock of recognisable models, the artist reflects on what influences our gaze: when a picture is identified only with what it depicts, it draws from a system of values that – sometimes unconsciously – guides the way we observe. Albdorf reveals the potentiality of the image, mocking the value of photography.

Sara Ferrari

Thomas Albdorf, I Know I Will See What I Have Seen Before, 2015.

© Thomas Albdorf 2015