‘ALBUM/TRACKS B' may refer to a photo album which, empty at first, tells a "(hi)story" only once it is filled with pictures, a story to look at, read, and interpret from ever new points of view.
The work of Ana Torfs (born in 1963, lives in Brussels) could be understood as a tribute to certain personalities and events from history, literature, and film whose tracks - hence the title - and traces the artist pursues and endows with new life. Thus, Torfs frequently explores literary and historical material such as the Inquisition's files on Joan of Arc (‘Du mentir-faux', 2000), the court records from the trial for the murder of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht (‘Anatomy', 2006), or Ludwig van Beethoven's conversation books (‘Zyklus von Kleinigkeiten', 1998). To do so, Torfs has mainly relied on photography, slide installations, and, in the beginnings of her career, on video and film as her media.
ALBUM/TRACKS A and B offer the first comprehensive survey of Torfs' work, with the exhibitions at K21 in Düsseldorf (earlier this year) and now at the Generali Foundation in Vienna complementing each other. While both venues present a selection of earlier works, though with a slightly different emphasis, the artist's new photographic series ‘Family Plot' #1 and #2 as well as ‘Legend' are shown for the first time.
September 3 - December 12 at Generali Foundation, Wiedner Hauptstrasse 15, Foundationsquartier, 1040 Vienna, Austria. Open Tue to Sun, 11am. to 6pm., Thurs to 8pm.
foundation.generali.at