A Violation of a Photograph

A large mounted photograph of a seated figure between two trestles, struck with red paint that runs off the print onto the gallery wall and floor, a blue line, scratched letters and a drawn cloud among the marks, a small wall label beside it — *A Violation of a Photograph*, 2011 — C-print, 80 × 100 cm. Courtesy of the artist

Year: 2011
Medium: Photography, mixed media — C-print, 80 × 100 cm
Camera: Hasselblad 503CW
Exhibited: Verbote im Kunstraum, Leopold Museum, Vienna, 2011

Among many aspects lying beneath the prohibition to cross the line I have chosen an inner resentment towards violating a taboo of touching or leaving a trace behind. I produced a photograph as a finished and sellable art object and mounted it in the space that could be identified as a contemporary museum or gallery, increasing the inhibition to damage the work. Several acquaintances were asked to leave visible marks on the photograph, to violate the prohibition in Hegelian sense, where the awareness of the taboo is still present and the restraint and prohibition in a different context continues to exist. Most of the participants felt desire to violate a work in the past and there was an obvious excitement just before the breach. The reluctance to damage the photo soon disappeared, but a new taboo emerged: an inhibition to touch the marks left by previous violators. While some traces are obviously violence, majority resembles a collaborative work, taking into account the underlying photograph and already present traces. This reveals another aspect of the action in the contemporary art space. The action, even if meant as a destruction, is immediately absorbed into the space, and can be easily appropriated by the work itself. It is not visually distinguishable whether the final photograph is a document of a violation of a photograph or a document of an installation titled “A Violation of a Photograph”.

The untouched photograph mounted alone on a white gallery wall: a seated figure in a white tank top between two wooden trestles — The photograph before the violations — mounted as a finished, sellable object, 2011. Courtesy of the artist

A man in a cap lunging toward the photograph, red paint just thrown across the print — Documentation of the violations, 2011 — the first throw of red. Courtesy of the artist

A man crouching low at the photograph with a spray bottle, red drips already running down the print — Documentation of the violations, 2011. Courtesy of the artist

A woman reaching across the photograph, laying a blue line over the print — Documentation of the violations, 2011 — the blue line. Courtesy of the artist

A man writing at the top of the photograph, the red splash and drips already present below his hand — Documentation of the violations, 2011 — marks upon marks. Courtesy of the artist

A woman leaning into the top of the photograph, scratching letters into the print, a spirit level resting against the wall — Documentation of the violations, 2011 — the scratched letters. Courtesy of the artist