Private Self-Portrait or Artistic Staging?

Eyes wide open, a fixed gaze that appears surprised, but also provocative. Since the days of her youth, Elke Silvia Krystufek has documented and staged her life through painting and photography, in films and performances. Her body is her medium, the artist often works with nude pictures of herself, seemingly revealing personal and intimate moments of her life. Krystufek artfully plays with the line between the private sphere and public life, recreating herself as a fictional character with flashy wigs and self-made clothes. Her text fragments are written in English, gender issues and voyeurism are recurring themes. In “A Minor History,” Krystufek exposes herself to the viewers’ gaze. As so often, she makes herself highly vulnerable at the same time. 

Elke Silvia Krystufek, A Minor History, 2000
© State of Lower Austria, Lower Austrian State Collections
Photo: Peter Böttcher