Galerie Hubert Winter

Michael Höpfner
On Foot
9. October – 14. November 2009
Im Anderen Land. Vom Ding, das nicht Rom ist. Ein Ding. Ein Land?
eine Zeit? eine Lebenszeit? Ein Ding. Ein Canto darauf. Ein Canto.
Die letzten Zeilen. In: Paul Nizon, Canto. (1963). Ffm, Suhrkamp, 1992.

The camp, orbiting this outpost of the so-called progress, an unknown continent, the last step depending on the first one, there is no romance here, Chang Tang Plateau, West Tibet.
The artist does not leave any tracks on the seared earth. His marks are the photographs that are used as signs on the way. He always is able to revert, he records for us the troubles of the route. He shows us, in this civilization, foreign, exists an outpost, emitting fearsome intimacy, some place, pointing out destruction already started everywhere. The only hope, in the battle of time, with the sun and wind, all should sear and crumble away. Embedded in this day of doubtful lightness, the photographs show the scene, no place to arrive, difficult to leave, a place of dreary un-dwelling, not the venue of our unstable desire to arrival, not here, somewhere else.

ON FOOT an installation by MICHAEL HÖPFNER (born 1972) contains 43 b/w Photos made on Oct. 12, 2007. Notebooks describe in details the life besides an outpost. A sculpture illustrated the fragmented existence in this so named “extreme situation”.

Michael Höpfner (notebook 10/12/07)
There are two different concepts of time. One is about progress and the other one about a circle! Out here, nature seems to be the driving force. But progress is the concept of the Outpost. This is not a utopian place.

  • Review: DER STANDARD, 22.10.2009 (PDF)