For the exhibition at tresor, Mario Kiesenhofer is working on a new photographic portrait series for which the artist focuses on the queer rave scene in Eastern Europe, with emphasis on Warsaw. DJs, dancefloors, avant-garde drag performances, club-scenes and raves are the expressive platforms of an active resistance movement that celebrates the concerns of the LGBTQIA+ community, which are also justified in Eastern Europe and important for all of us: tolerance and acceptance of diversity are nothing less than cornerstones of liberal democracy in an enlightened society. Bathed in colored light Mario Kiesenhofer's images reflect a party culture in which the techno scene of the 1990s is experiencing a revival while simultaneously making a highly resistant and political claim. The club becomes an inclusive place of protest, the dance floor a stage for queerness in increasingly illiberal systems. In addition to these photographic works, Kiesenhofer places the new video installation Reflections (feat. Reflektra, 2022/23) at the centre of the exhibition.

Mario Kiesenhofer's cautious pictorial approach captures an underground scene: portraits and detail shots meet collective energy, ecstasy and queer protest movement – from this field of tension he generates a project for the tresor that transforms the exhibition space into a queer treasure chamber.

Mario Kiesenhofer is the recipient of a 2023 State Scholarship for Photography from the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Public Service and Sport.

Opening on Tuesday, 24 October 2023 at 7.30 pm

DJ-Live-Act with Avtomat (PL) at 9 pm