The Unfamiliar
On an artistic approach to diversity

It is said that our lives are a reflection of others. What is alien often appears threatening to us. How can we manage to embrace different perceptions of the world without revealing our very own identity? Even today, the exclusion of those who are different – or quite simply of other individuals – can frequently be traced back to the gender divide, sexual identity, or the external characteristics of people of diverse origins. In the process, cultural constructs often have a lingering effect, trapping these ​“others” in rigid perceptions of their individual roles.

The works selected from the photo collection of the Museums of the City of Linz and from private collections on the wide-ranging topic of ​“foreigners” forge far-reaching dialogues. With the aid of the works selected, we are attempting to build bridges to bygone times and distant cultures and to raise awareness of common stereotypes associated with the abasement and exclusion of social groups. In doing so, concepts such as Othering, Orientalism, Colonialism, Marginalisation and Classism surface.

The exhibition features works by Özlem Altin, Joerg Auzinger, Laurien Bachmann, Alfredo Barsuglia, Renate Billensteiner, Elisabeth Czihak, Canan Dagdelen, Ricarda Denzer, Eva & Adele, Bernhard Fuchs, Nilbar Güreş, Tatiana Lecomte, Erich Lessing, Hans Kupelwieser, Inge Morath, Shirin Neshat, Wolfgang Pavlik, Elisabeth Peterlik, Otto Saxinger and Lisa Spalt, Leo Schatzl, Klaus Peter Scheuringer, Ingeborg Strobl, Engin Uzunkaya and Marko Zink and others.

Curator: Brigitte Reutner-Doneus