“Is that you on one of these photos? If you don’t want to appear in this exhibition, please contact us via e-mail.” That’s what the sign says in this nightmare for all those who like to write precise photo credits below their images. Which would be impossible here. On display are around 5000 photos of ordinary and anonymous people, of whom a professional photograph was taken in the Hiller family’s photo studio, mostly at an important moment in their lives: As a baby, when they were drafted into the army, at their wedding, on their deathbed. Yes, this was still common in the 1920s in this Catholic, rural area of Austria: Death is part of the life cycle and was captured in photographs. The negatives remained with the Hiller family, so they could be reordered at any time. A total of 100,000 are being digitized since 2020 (the studio closed in 1995) and can now be seen for the first time in the new Vorarlberg State Museum and on the “volare” photo portal of the Vorarlberg State Library. 

The exhibition gives the rather trite term “immersion” a refreshing meaning. The thematically arranged photo series are printed in high quality on textiles that completely cover the walls. This creates a hallowed atmosphere reminiscent of Christian Boltanski’s artworks. And rightly so. Because no matter how happy the occasion may have been, the sheer endless repetition creates a feeling of deep anxiety. That’s how similar we all are with our so-called differences! In many cases, these images are probably the only thing that remains of a life. 

The singularity of history sometimes breaks through such infinitely varied typical situations: One of the Hiller sons took photographs in the First World War, another in the Second. The war series are inserted through projections—and everyday life dominates there too, only this time at the front. Here curator Arno Gisinger dares a harsh confrontation with greatly enlarged postcard motifs from tourist advertising. Despite everything, it is not an unsettling, solemn exhibition. At four stations, visitors can take a selfie with a few props and professional studio lighting, a split second of individuality among 5000 other individuals.

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