Mario Kiesenhofer's work deals with the dispositive of photography and how it sharpens the view onto realities that are not perceived as such. His artistic focus centers around queer spaces and communities, with an emphasis on their representation and visibility. He maps surfaces and addresses the constitution of social spaces and landscapes used for intimate encounters and sexual interactions by the gay community. How are these queer safe spaces formed, where do they emerge, and how do they change? With these questions in mind, Kiesenhofer explores those ephemeral spaces with his camera and creates photographic objects and video installations that blur realities.
Mario Kiesenhofer lives and works in Vienna and is represented by Peter Hay Halpert Fine Art in New York. Kiesenhofer studied Photography and Video Art under the guidance of Matthias Herrmann and Dorit Margreiter at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. His works have been shown in London (Austrian Cultural Forum), Tokyo (A- Gallery), Poland (BWA Gallery, Tarnów) and at the Vienna Museum (among others). He is a co-founder of STREULICHT – a publication series on photography & related arts. Mario Kiesenhofer is a recipient of a 2023 State Scholarship for Photography from the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Public Service and Sports. The Austrian Federal Government granted him a 3-months scholarship for Artistic Photography in New York City in 2018 (as part of the International Studio & Curatorial Program) and a 6-months scholarship for Artistic Photography in 2015. He was a finalist for the Wolf Suschitzky Photography Price in 2018 and received a special mention. In 2020 Kiesenhofer was awarded a special mention by the expert jury at the Portfolio Review at Fotomuseum Winterthur.
ARTISTIC EDUCATION
2014 DIPLOMA, FINE ART, ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS VIENNA
Video and Videoinstallation Studio (Dorit Margreiter)
2008 - 2014 STUDIES AT THE ACADAMY OF FINE ARTS VIENNA
Art and Photography Studio (Matthias Herrmann, Martin Guttmann)
Video and Videoinstallation Studio (Dorit Margreiter)
2005 - 2008 STUDIES AT THE "WIENER KUNSTSCHULE"
Interdisciplinary Media Studio (Claudia Slanar)
FUNDINGS / SCHOLARSHIPS
2023 STATE SCHOLARSHIP FOR PHOTOGRAPHY
by The Austrian Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Public Service And Sports
2018 3-MONTHS ARTIST RESIDENCY FOR ARTISTIC PHOTOGRAPHY, NEW YORK CITY
as part of the International Studio & Curatorial Program ISCP
by the Arts and Culture Division of the Federal Chancellery of Austria
2015 6-MONTH START SCHOLARSHIP FOR ARTISTIC PHOTOGRAPHY
by the Arts and Culture Division of the Federal Chancellery of Austria
2012 – 2015 DEPARTURE FOCUS - ART FUNDING
section: art market / project "SIGHTS - new formats for fashion and art"
by departure, the creative center of the Vienna Business Agency
LECTURES / TALKS
MAPPING QUEER SURROUNDINGS. A PANEL ON VISIBILITY AND SPACE
AUSTRIAN CULTURAL FORUM NEW YORK
Panel discussion at the Austrian Cultural Forum New York
Speakers: Drew Sawyer (Brooklyn Museum), Matthew Leifheit (photographer, magazine editor), Mario Kiesenhofer (artist)
2022 QUEER SPACES – ARTIST TALK
QUEER MUSEUM VIENNA
as part of Queer Talks, curated by Christiane Erharter, with Kaucyila Brooke (LA), Mario Kiesenhofer (VIE), Stefanie Seibold (VIE)
2018 LECTURE
SCHOOL FRIEDL KUBELKA – THE SCHOOL FOR ARTISTIC PHOTOGRAPHY VIENNA
Lecture on my artistic practice
EXHIBITIONS (SELECTION)
group exhibition, curated by Francis Ruyter, Louise Deininger, Michael Kaufmann, Gerhard Pruegger
2022/23 DISPATCHES FROM A TROUBLED CITY
Vienna Museum MUSA, Vienna
group exhibition, curated by Nika Kupyrova, with works by: Aaron Amar Bhamra, Daniela Grabosch, Ordained Hardware, Mario Kiesenhofer, Gašper Kunšič, Anna Paul, Ekaterina Shapiro-Obermair
2022 MARIO KIESENHOFER. SURROUNDINGS
Peter Hay Halpert Fine Art in cooperation with Anders Wahlsted Fine Art
New York City
solo exhibition, curated by Peter Halpert
2021 SAFE SPACES REMOTE PLACES
Top19BTM19, Vienna
group exhibition, with works by: Adam Baran, Siggi Hofer, Mario Kiesenhofer, Zara Pfeifer
as part of FOTO WIEN Selected, hosted and curated by Mario Kiesenhofer
2021 QUEER|ART|PRIDE DIGITAL BOOK & PRINT FAIR
Queer art New York, Online
guest artist, curated by Queer Art
2021 MARIO KIESENHOFER. SHIFTING LAYERS
Bildraum 01, Vienna
solo exhibition, curated by Bildrecht
2021 MARIO KIESENHOFER. NEIGHBORHOOD
VAN Artspace, Vienna
solo exhibition, curated by Sophia Hatwagner
2020 FOTOHOF CALLING
online presentation, curated by Fotohof: https://calling.fotohof.at/projects/indoor/
2020 PLAT(T)FORM 2020
Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland
portfolio review, special mention
2020 SURFACING
the dentists, Köllnerhofgasse 6, Vienna
duo exhibition with Robert Bodnar, curated by Walter Seidl
2019 SENSATIONS. CLOSER TO THE PEOPLE
Kunstverein Schattendorf, Austria
group exhibition, curated by Siggi Hofer
2019 HAVE FUN TONIGHT
Spielzimmer, Vienna
solo exhibition, curated by Michael Kaufmann (Gallery Ernst Hilger)
2019 QUEER ART SPACE VIENNA
Kunsthalle Exnergasse, Vienna
group exhibition, curated by Gülsen Bal, Michael Kaufmann, Gerhard Pruegger
2019 FILTERED
Take Festival, Vienna
solo exhibition as part of Take Festival for Independent Fashion and Arts,
curated by the Austrian Fashion Association
2019 EVERLASTING LIGHT
Tim Nolas, Vienna
group exhibition, curated by Cornelia Lein
2019 SHIFTING QUEER TOPOGRAPHIES
Studio Mario Kiesenhofer, Vienna
solo exhibition, curated by Kunsthaus Wien, as part of Foto Wien Festival
2019 WOLF SUSCHITZKY PHOTOGRAPHY PRIZE EXHIBITION
Austrian cultural Forum, London
group exhibition and special mention, curated by Katy Baron & Vanessa Fewster
2017 WOLF SUSCHITZKY PHOTOGRAPHY PRIZE EXHIBITION
A-Gallery, Tokyo
group exhibition, curated by Andreas Spiegl
2016 SEX IN VIENNA. DESIRE. CONTROL. TRANSGRESSION
Vienna Museum, Vienna
group exhibition, curated by Andreas Brunner, Frauke Kreutler, Michaela Lindinger, Gerhard Milchram,
Martina Nußbaumer, Hannes Sulzenbacher
2016 TO THE WINDOWS TO THE WALLS
Art space Argentinierstrasse, Vienna
duo exhibition with Sophia Hatwagner, as part of Eyes On - Month of Photography Vienna
2016 PATTERN. CITY. TARNÓW
BWA Gallery, TarnÓw (Poland)
group exhibition, curated by Marcin Rozyc
2012 NEW DIRECTIONS IN PHOTOGRAPHY
Academy of Fine ArtS, Vienna
group exhibition, as part of the European Month of Photography
2012 THE RUNWAYSHOP
Oberösterreichischer Kunstverein, Linz
interdisciplinary exhibition project in cooperation with Sight Store Vienna
2011 - 2012 LANDSCAPE / DISPOSITIVE
Sur la Montagne, Berlin
group exhibition, curated by Sur La Montagne
2010 FIVE DIRECTIONS OF PHOTOGRAPHY THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY
Gallery Hilger, Vienna
group exhibition, curated by Martin Guttmann
PROJECTS (SELECTION)
2016 VIENNA ON THE MOVE
Lightbox Studio, Tokyo, Japan
exhibition project & showroom, part of Tokyo Fashion Week
9 Austrian fashion labels and 6 Austrian artists
art director and co-founder of the project
curated by Andreas Spiegl (Acadamy of Fine Arts Vienna)
2015 MODE BLOGG
publication on fashion, fine art & architecture
art director and co-editor, in cooperation with Andreas Spiegl (Academy of Fine Arts Vienna)
2012 - 2015 STREULICHT
publication series on photography & related matters, 144 pages, biannual, bilingual (english & german)
art director and co-founder of the project
in cooperation with Roland Fischer-Briand (editor) & Amelie Zadeh (editor)
2012 - 2015 PROJECT SIGHTS, NEW FORMATS FOR FASHION AND ART
cooperation project at the interface between fine art and contemporary fashion
curator and artistic director in cooperation with Vivien Sakura Brandl (Sight Store Vienna)
organisation and implementation of temporary art & fashion projects in artspaces like: "Künstlerhaus KM– Graz", MaximilansForum München", "Peter Behrens Tabakfabrik Linz"
curator at the exhibition space Sight Room