Heidi Harsieber (born 1948 in

Gloggnitz Gloggnitz is a mountain town in the Neunkirchen (Austrian district), Neunkirchen district of Lower Austria, Austria. Gloggnitz is situated in the south-western part of the Viennese Basin, Vienna Basin in Lower Austria. It is surrounded by the hi ...

) is an Austrian photographer who is known for her independent artistic work, and her portrait and documentary works of the Austrian art scene. She has exhibited across the country, and won the Cultural Award of Lower Austria for Media Art / Artistic Photography in 2023.

Life and work

Heidi Harsieber completed an apprenticeship as a photographer in 1963–66 at the photography master class of

Höhere Graphische Bundes-Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt The Höhere Graphische Bundes-Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt (HGBLuVA) ("Higher Federal Institution for Graphic Education and Research"), now commonly known as "die Graphische",Ulrike Matzer (2012), '“Le modèle tout complet”—Vienna’s Graphisch ...

in Vienna. In 1970, she was the youngest self-employed commercial photographer in Austria, and she has been working as an artist since the 1960s. At the Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien, she was head of the »Fotozentralwerkstätte« entral photography labfrom 1977 to 1985, and from 1991 to 2001 she taught documentary photography for conservators. Harsieber was influenced by Ernst Hartmann, who was a teacher at 'Graphische'. As a tribute to his personality and body of work, she published a monograph in collaboration with Maren Gröning, who researched his life and work. This monograph also contains a section on

Josef Matthias Hauer Josef Matthias Hauer (March 19, 1883 – September 22, 1959) was an Austrian composer and music theorist. He is best known for developing, independent of and a year or two before Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 Septembe ...

and contributions from former students. In 1973, she was commissioned by

Friedensreich Hundertwasser Friedrich Stowasser (15 December 1928 – 19 February 2000), better known by his pseudonym Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser (), was an Austrian visual artist and architect who also worked in the field of environmental protection ...

to photograph self-built and individually designed shacks and cabins in allotment gardens in Vienna. The planned book project did not come to fruition, but the photographs were shown in 2014 under the title "Peripheres Wohnen" at Galerie Ortner 2. Critics have commented on Heidi Harsieber's photography, that 'she is a "great portraitist who deals with the body, with sexuality, pain and death', her 'eye for the incongruous in an ostensibly ordered world' and has a 'penchant for edges of all kinds', working in 'thematic loops' such as people and landscape studies, artist portraits, material and object studies, self-portraits, body studies and performances and places and spaces. Astrid Peterle writes in the publication ''FacingAustria'': 'Heidi Harsieber's photography is characterised by an inquisitive, sensual and psychologically motivated approach to human beings. She approaches the subjects in her photographs with great affection'. Manisha Jothady, in a review of Harsieber's book ''always well behaved,'' stated that her images, 'vividly express the reflection on illness, pain and transience in conflict with the desire for vitality, youth and beauty'. Jothady sees Harsieber's photography in the context of feminist artists of the 1970s, on the one hand because of her 'fragmentary representation of the self, which seems to be in a constant state of transition', and on the other hand, because Harsieber seeks to initiate a dialog with herself through her attempts to inscribe her own body in the surrounding space, which serves self-perception and self-positioning. In an

Ö1 Österreich 1 (Ö1) is an Austrian radio station: one of the four national channels operated by Austria's public broadcaster ORF. It focuses on classical music and opera, jazz, documentaries and features, news, radio plays and dramas, ''Kabarett ...

radio item Anna Soucek said, "Blurred bodies can often be seen in erphotos, or only individual body parts, sometimes with props - as blurred as the boundaries between eroticism, pain, illness and transience in Heidi Harsieber's work." Works by Heidi Harsieber can be found in these public collections:

Albertina The Albertina is a museum in the Innere Stadt (First District) of Vienna, Austria. It houses one of the largest and most important print rooms in the world with approximately 65,000 drawings and approximately 1 million old master prints, as well ...

, Federal Photography Collection, Vienna; Landesmuseum Niederösterreich, St. Pölten; OÖ Landes-Kultur GmbH (Francisco Carolinum), Linz;

Vienna Museum The Vienna Museum ( or ''Museen der Stadt Wien'') is a group of museums in Vienna consisting of the museums of the history of the city. In addition to the main building in Karlsplatz, the group includes some locations, numerous specialised museu ...

, Vienna; Art Collection of the arts department of the City of Vienna, MUSA, Vienna;

Österreichische Galerie Belvedere The Österreichische Galerie Belvedere is a museum housed in the Belvedere (palace), Belvedere palace, in Vienna, Austria. The Belvedere palaces were the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663–1736). The ensemble was built in the ear ...

, Vienna. Extensive permanent loans from the artist can be found in the

Fotohof Fotohof is a Salzburg-based non-commercial gallery and publishing company specialising in contemporary fine art photography. Its sponsoring body is the Association for the Promotion of Auteur Photography, founded in 1981. FOTOHOF ''gallery'' ...

>ARCHIV.

Exhibitions (selection)

* 2025: ''Quer durch. Ein Leben mit der Fotografie, ''Landesgalerie Niederösterreich, Krems'' * 2022: ''HAND.KAMERA'', Francisco Carolinum, Linz * 2021: ''WERKSCHAU XXVI: Heidi Harsieber – und immer warten sie,'' Fotogalerie Wien, Vienna * 2020: ''Einblicke – Künstler und ihr Partner / Trash'',

>ARCHIV, Salzburg * 2020: ''Love has changed, not so desire'', Charim Events, Vienna * 2019: ''links und rechts die Nacht'', Lia Wolf Cabinett, Vienna (Part of FOTO WIEN) * 2018: Raum mit Licht, Wien – in cooperation with

Friedl Kubelka Friedl Kubelka (née Bondy, née vom Gröller) (born 1946) is an Austrian photographer, filmmaker and visual artist born in London, England in 1946. Her photographic practice has been attributed to a 20th-century movement known as Feminist Actio ...

* 2014: ''Einblicke'',

Belvedere Belvedere (from Italian, meaning "beautiful sight") may refer to: Places Australia *Belvedere, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region Africa * Belvedere (Casablanca), a neighborhood in Casablanca, Morocco * Belvedere, Harare, Zi ...

, Spitzhof, Vienna * 2014: ''Peripheres Wohnen'', Ortner 2, Vienna * 2010: ''Sportfotos'', Lia Wolf Cabinett, Vienna (Part of ''eyes on'', Monat der Fotografie) * 2010: ''exposed'', FOTOHOF, Salzburg * 2009: ''Rutland Gate'', Christine König Gallery, Vienna * 2008: ''Monika, Herbert, and forever more they wait'', Lolapoloza Project Space, Oxford (GB) – in cooperation with Bernadette Huber * 2005: ''Love has changed, not so desire'', Open Studio, Vienna – Exhibition at the atelier including live music by

Franz Koglmann Franz Koglmann (born 22 May 1947) is an Austrian jazz composer. He performs on both the trumpet and flugelhorn in most often in avant-garde jazz and third stream. An award-winning composer, Koglmann has performed or recorded with Lee Konitz, Paul ...

and Peter Herbert * 1981: ''Heidi Harsiebers Holland'', Slide show and sound collage in cooperation with Franz Koglmann, Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien * 1975: Fotoserie abstrakter Dias, Museum des 20. Jahrhunderts, Vienna

Group exhibitions (selection)

* 2021: ''Wilde Kindheit'',

Lentos Art Museum The Lentos Art Museum (German: Kunstmuseum Lentos) is a museum of modern art in Linz, Austria, which opened in May 2003 as the successor to the (New Gallery of the City of Linz). The museum was designed by Zurich-based architectural firm Webe ...

, Linz * 2018: ''Women.Now'', Austrian Cultural Forum New York City (USA) * 2017: ''Die Kraft des Alters'', Unteres Belvedere, Vienna * 2017: ''ÖsterreichBilder'',

Salzburg Museum Housed in the ' (to which it moved in 2005), the Salzburg Museum is the museum of artistic and cultural history of the city and region of Salzburg, Austria. It originated as the Provincialmuseum and was also previously known as the Museum Carolino- ...

, Salzburg * 2015: ''Schlaflos. Das Bett in Geschichte und Gegenwartskunst'',

21er Haus Belvedere 21, formerly 21er Haus or Einundzwanziger Haus (), is a modernist style steel and glass building designed by Austrian architect Karl Schwanzer (1918–1975). Originally constructed as the Austrian pavilion or temporary showroom for the ...

, Vienna * 2014: ''Selbstauslöser '',

Museum der Moderne Salzburg The Museum der Moderne Salzburg has two buildings at two different locations in Salzburg, Austria. The Rupertinum in the old town for new artistic concepts opened in 1983 and the Museum on the Mönchsberg for modern art in a contemporary setting op ...

, Salzburg, * 2011: ''Absolut Wien'',

, Vienna * 2010: ''ich ist ein anderer'', Landesmuseum NÖ, St. Pölten * 2009: ''Lebensform Wittgenstein'', Haus Wittgenstein, Vienna * 2007: ''body talk'', Fotogalerie Wien, Vienna

Awards

* 2023: Cultural Award of Lower Austria for Media Art / Artistic Photography

Books

* 2021: ''Das ist – Über die Jahre. Fotografie als Abbild und Konstruktion''. With a text by Ferdinand Schmatz. Edited by Lia Wolf. Vienna: Schlebrügge.Editor. ISBN 978-3-903172-76-0 * 2021: ''WERKSCHAU XXVI: Heidi Harsieber – und immer warten sie''. With a text by Michaela Lindinger. Fotobuch 63/2021. Vienna: FOTOGALERIE WIEN. ISBN 978-3-902725-48-6 * 2017: ''FacingAustria''. Edited by Rainer Iglar and Michael Mauracher. Salzburg: FOTOHOF>EDITION. ISBN 978-3-92993-50-2 * 2014: ''EINBLICKE. Künstler und ihre Partner''. With texts by

Agnes Husslein Agnes Husslein, also Agnes Husslein-Arco, (born 22 May 1954) is an Austrian art historian and art manager. Life Husslein was born the daughter of Felicitas (''née'' Boeckl) and Carl Heinrich Arco in Vienna (1920–1978).Fotohof Fotohof is a Salzburg-based non-commercial gallery and publishing company specialising in contemporary fine art photography. Its sponsoring body is the Association for the Promotion of Auteur Photography, founded in 1981. FOTOHOF ''gallery'' ...

>EDITION. ISBN 978-3-902675-27-9

as Editor

* 2025: ''Heidi Harsieber – Werner Kuntschik''. In cooperation with Berthold Ecker. Vienna: Schlebrügge.Editor. ISBN 978-3-903447-17-2 * 2020: ''Ernst Hartmann 1907–1983: ‚brennen!, nur darauf kommt es an‘''. In cooperation with Maren Gröning. Vienna: Schlebrügge.Editor. ISBN 978-3-903172-66-1

References

External links

Image-Collections by Heidi Harsieber at FOTOHOF>ARCHIV

Sports images by Heidi Harsieber from the documentary project ''FacingAustria''

Film and lecture accompanying the exhibition ''WERKSCHAU'' at Fotogalerie Wien

Re-Staging of Harsieber's slide show ''Trash'' accompanied by an musical improvisation by Franz Koglmann and Peter Herbert, 2020
21st-century Austrian photographers 1948 births People from Lower Austria Living people Austrian women photographers {{improve categories, date=November 2023