JEANNE SZILIT

Since 2008, artistic photography has been Jeanne Szilit's preferred means of expression. The development of digital media played a crucial role, enabling her to reshape painting and film within photography in new ways. Her interest in sharpening the perception of the world, playing with it, and "daringly plunging into virtual trances and darkest terrain" led her to make painterly changes to her photographs on the computer. She also digitally reenacts found material from media, film, and art. The artist does this in the manner of a painter deeply engaging with her subject. She further develops her altered images in various interpretive directions, gradually losing the motif's unambiguousness. This is evident in her first series, "ICONIC FLASHBACKS," a result of sphinx-like psychograms of globally renowned women who seem to have lost themselves in their own iconography. Another example is the series "PLOT POINTS," where the dramatic turning points in a film are captured, resurrecting the lost world of classic old movies. This extends to her latest series, "MORTAL SYSTEMS - FLOWER SUITES," where the artist examines the energy fields of mortal systems, such as humans and plants, through multifaceted manipulations of photographic sources.

Since 2011, the Martin Suppan Gallery has been collaborating successfully with Jeanne Szilit, resulting in numerous solo exhibitions, group show participations, and fair presentations both domestically and internationally.

Against the backdrop of studies in painting, philosophy, and screenwriting, Vienna-based but internationally active artist Jeanne Szilit has found a highly experimental and immensely suggestive visual language. Born in Munich, the artist began studying painting at the Konstverksamheten Academy in Stockholm in 1979. From 1985, she relocated back to Munich, where she pursued studies in theater science and philosophy at Ludwig Maximilian University, followed by studies at the University of Television and Film Munich from 1992 as a scriptwriting workshop fellow. She gained further study experiences in Sweden, the USA, the UK, France, Italy, and Greece. Since 2003, the artist has been living and working in Vienna. Her artistic repertoire spans from painting and photography to screenplays and films, covering a significant portion of contemporary art forms. Her work is housed in numerous collections both domestically and abroad.

Works